Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has paid local transporters in  (a) Afghanistan and  (b) Pakistan to transport British goods for resupply in each year since 2002.

Bob Ainsworth: The cost of onward movement from Kandahar to other UK bases in Afghanistan between April 2006 and March 2007 was around £3.2 million. Data prior to April 2006 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The cost of transport through Pakistan is subsumed in the costs associated with the contract for the transport of supplies from the UK to the UK logistics hub in Afghanistan. A breakdown cannot be provided of the amount paid to 'local' transporters as the MOD does not have visibility of such sub-contracts.

Army: Deployment

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average tour interval was for the  (a) infantry,  (b) Royal Artillery,  (c) Royal Engineers,  (d) Royal Corps of Signals,  (e) Royal Armoured Corps,  (f) Household Cavalry,  (g) Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers and  (h) Army Medical Services in the latest period for which figures are available.

Bob Ainsworth: The average unit tour intervals for the Infantry and those units of the Royal Regiment of Artillery, the Royal Armoured Corps and the Army Medical Services which deploy as fully formed units, are 23.5, 20.8, 23.1 and 24.5 months respectively. This is calculated on the basis of the mean time between the start of the most recent deployment and the end of the previous deployment.
	The Household Cavalry has only deployed as a unit twice since January 2003: Iraq (April 2004-October 2004) and Afghanistan (October 2007-April 2008). As such, its average unit tour interval and actual unit tour interval is 35 months.
	The unit tour interval is a less relevant measure when applied to the Corps of Royal Engineers, Royal Corps of Signals and the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. This is due to the frequency with which personnel move between formed units within these Corps (the personnel deployed with a unit will be substantially different from the personnel deployed with the same unit on a previous occasion). Consequently, unit tour interval data for these Corps is not routinely collated.

Olympic Board Secretariat

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what functions are performed by  (a) the Secretariat to the Olympic Board and  (b) the Government Olympic Executive; how many people work in each body; and how much has been spent on staffing each body.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 13 November 2007
	The Secretariat to the Olympic Board provides support to the board through arranging meetings and preparing agendas, papers and minutes. As of 12 November 2007, the Secretariat consists of two full-time equivalent staff. The current Secretariat, based within the Government Olympic Executive (GOE), took over this function from the Olympic Programme Support Unit in September 2007. The cost of the current Secretariat for September and October 2007 was £7,109.48.
	The Government Olympic Executive consists of 61.3 full-time equivalent staff. GOE's main function is to provide an intelligent client for the Olympic programme on behalf of Government. GOE currently divides its staff broadly across four main functions:
	(1) Oversight of and support to the key delivery bodies (ODA and LOCOG);
	(2) Legacy panning;
	(3) Co-ordination of other functions including parliamentary business, research, planning, and public engagement;
	(4) Detailed oversight of financial operations.
	The GOE staff cost for October 2007 was £629,691 and staff costs to date in this financial year are £2,168,158.

Olympic Games 2012: Mayor of London

Boris Johnson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics whether she plans to further revise further the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government and the Mayor of London.

Tessa Jowell: There is no current reason to further revise the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government and the Mayor of London.

Anti-Semitism

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many officials from his Department attended the cross-Government working group on anti-Semitism on 15 November, broken down by grade; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Department for Communities and Local Government on 22 November 2007,  Official Report, column 1012W.

Departmental Public Participation

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what opinion polls his Department has conducted of  (a) the public and  (b) staff since 27 June 2007; and what the (i) name of the firm employed to conduct the poll, (ii) purpose and (iii) cost to the public purse was in each case.

Margaret Hodge: The Department has conducted one public opinion poll since 27 June 2007. The firm employed was BMRB and the purpose was to gauge national public opinion about the Olympic legacy promises. The cost was £65,629
	The Department has conducted various opinion polls of staff since 27 June 2007 which are listed:
	1. Two staff workshops with a range of DCMS staff to explore responses to the recent DCMS Capability Review. These were managed by Campbell Keegan and cost £12,250.
	2. A staff opinion survey. The firm employed was ORC International and the purpose was to find out staff views on working at DCMS. The cost was £20,425.

Museums and Galleries

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many  (a) UK residents and  (b) tourists from overseas visited (i) museums and (ii) art galleries in the UK in each of the last 10 years.

Margaret Hodge: The information is as follows:
	 (a) The number of visits by UK residents to (i) museums and (ii) art galleries sponsored by DCMS are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Million 
			   (i) Museums  (ii) Art galleries 
			 1998-99 7.70 5.32 
			 1999-2000 8.49 4.99 
			 2000-01 11.56 7.99 
			 2001-02 13.45 7.66 
			 2002-03 16.56 7.47 
			 2003-04 15.56 7.68 
			 2004-05 16.60 8.61 
			 2005-06 15.52 7.55 
			 2006-07 16.04 8.76 
		
	
	 (b) The number of visits by overseas tourists to (i) museums and (ii) art galleries sponsored by DCMS are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Million 
			   (i) Museums  (ii) Art galleries 
			 1998-99 2.54 3.51 
			 1999-2000 2.56 3.49 
			 2000-01 4.61 4.74 
			 2001-02 4.93 4.21 
			 2002-03 5.31 4.28 
			 2003-04 7.19 4.61 
			 2004-05 6.82 4.06 
			 2005-06 6.57 4.35 
			 2006-07 8.91 5.34 
		
	
	A breakdown of visits by UK and overseas residents to DCMS sponsored museums and art galleries is not available for 1997-98, as this data was not collected prior to 1998-99.
	Figures on the number of UK residents and overseas tourists that visit all museums and art galleries in the UK each year is not available.

Roads: Wales

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which trunk roads in Wales straddle the border.

Tom Harris: Trunk roads in Wales are the responsibility of the Welsh Assembly Government, but the following trunk roads cross from England into Wales from:
	
		
			  County  Name of trunk road 
			 Cheshire A55, A550, A483 
			 Shropshire A5, A458, A483 
			 Herefordshire A40, A465 
		
	
	In addition, the M48 Severn Bridge and the M4 Second Severn Crossing both cross the English/Welsh border.

Beef: Imports

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the  (a) volume and  (b) value of beef imported from Brazil was in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by state of origin.

Jonathan R Shaw: The following table shows the value and volume of imports of beef and beef products from Brazil to the United Kingdom from 2006 to September 2007. It is not possible to break these figures down by state of origin.
	
		
			  UK imports of beef from Brazil, 2006—September 2007 
			  Description  Year  Value  (£000)  Tonnes 
			 Beef (including meat and offal preparations) 2006 152,553 84,516 
			  2007 (January to September) 127,295 78,056 
			  Note: 2007 data is subject to amendments  Source: H M Revenue and Customs Data prepared by Trade statistics, Agricultural Statistics and Analysis Division, DEFRA

Citizens Juries

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many citizens juries were arranged for his Department for each year between 1997 and June 2007; which organisations were commissioned to conduct each citizens jury; and what the cost was of each.

Jonathan R Shaw: Data from 1997 is not readily available in core DEFRA and would require a significant review of all engagement activities and an analysis of the techniques used, resulting in extracting costs for citizens juries at a disproportionate cost.

Departmental Manpower

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people aged  (a) 30 to 39,  (b) 40 to 49,  (c) 50 to 59 and  (d) 60 to 69 years have (i) applied for jobs, (ii) received interviews and (iii) gained  (A) temporary and  (B) permanent jobs in his Department in 2007.

Jonathan R Shaw: Data on the age of applicants and interviewees is not available as DEFRA does not request this information. Date of birth is requested only from successful candidates. DEFRA is committed to creating an inclusive workplace, and to ensuring that there is no discrimination on the basis of age. By not asking candidates to disclose their date of birth there is a greater degree of objectivity built in the recruitment and appointment process.
	The number of staff in each age band who gained temporary or permanent employment in DEFRA between 1 January and 19 November 2007 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Age band  Temporary  Permanent 
			 30 to 39 8 79 
			 40 to 49 6 46 
			 50 to 59 3 16 
			 60 to 69 1 0

Fisheries

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make a statement on the discard pilot projects being undertaken by the UK.

Jonathan R Shaw: The UK and Ireland are jointly undertaking a pilot project in the Irish Sea to improve the quality of data on catches and discards in a range of fisheries. The project was approved by the European Commission on 27 August and participating vessels are therefore entitled to benefit from extra days at sea under the cod recovery programme.
	Results so far are encouraging. The Irish sea data enhancement project has increased observer coverage by at least 100 per cent.. Fishermen, trained under the project, are now regularly engaged in the provision of self-collected discard samples. However, it is too early in the programme to fully evaluate the utility of this data.
	The next step will be to apply data validation techniques, contrasting fishermen's records with observer data, and increase the number of participating vessels at the earliest possible opportunity.

Pollution: Fines

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was levied in fines by local authorities for incidences of pollution against  (a) companies,  (b) local authorities and  (c) individuals for each type of pollution incidence in each financial year since 2000, broken down by (i) region and (ii) fine.

Jonathan R Shaw: The total value of Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs), issued by local authorities, by English region for noise related offences in 2004-05 and 2005-06, is shown in the following table. FPNs issued for noise under the Noise Act 1996 can currently only be issued for night noise from domestic premises, which excludes companies.
	
		
			  Fine total 
			  £ 
			  Region  2004-05  2005-06 
			 South East 100 100 
			 North West 4  
			 North East 56 1,500 
			 West Midlands 1,500 — 
			 East of England 2 — 
			 Yorkshire and Humber — 100 
			 Total 1,672 1,700 
		
	
	The Department does not hold data for offences from 2000 to 2003. Information on the number of FPNs issued by local authorities to businesses and individuals for local environmental quality offences is published on the DEFRA website.
	Data for 2006-07 will be published shortly.
	The Clean Air Act provides for fines for various offences which are all enforced by local authorities through magistrate courts. However, DEFRA does not collect this data.
	For contaminated land, Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 provides for fines, levied through the courts, where a person fails, without reasonable excuse, to comply with any of the requirements of a remediation notice. Any convictions for such offences are contained on a register maintained by the enforcing authority. DEFRA does not collect this data centrally.
	Total fines imposed by the courts for offences under the Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations, where local authorities are the regulator, are shown as follows.
	
		
			  Fines imposed 
			  £ 
			  Region  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 North East — — — — — — 
			 North West — — 500.00 23,000.00 475.00 22,500.00 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 5,500.00 10,500.00 9,500.00 4,500.00 — 4,500.00 
			 West Midlands 2,000.00 15,000.00 — — 237,820.00 23,000.00 
			 East Midlands — — 4,000.00 30,000.00 8,000.00 — 
			 East of England 72,400.00 — 2,500.00 — 2,000.00 — 
			 Wales — 8,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 — 750.00 
			 London — — 21,116.00 — — — 
			 South East — 29,000.00 — — — — 
			 South West 7,250.00 — — — — — 
			 Total 87,150.00 62,500.00 39,616.00 59,500.00 248,295.00 50,750.00 
		
	
	Our annual statistical reports, which contain details of each recorded prosecution, can be found on the DEFRA website.
	Further data on fines levied by local authorities for other pollution incidents could be collated only at disproportionate cost.

Balance of Trade: EU Countries

Peter Bone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the UK's trade balance with other member states of the European Economic Community (EEC) was in the first 12 months after the UK joined the EEC as expressed in the value of the pound in 2007; what that balance was in  (a) trade in goods and  (b) trade in services; and what proportion these figures represented of the UK's trade balance in each case.

Kitty Ussher: The UK had a total trade deficit of £2.2 billion (1974 prices) with the EEC in 1974 (the first year after joining in 1973). This is based on IMF data, which does not give a breakdown between goods and services, or allow for the figure to be expressed in the value of the pound in 2007. This is 33 per cent. of the total trade deficit the UK had with the entire world, which was £6.7 billion.

Economic Situation

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the output per head of population in the  (a) Scottish and  (b) English economy was in each year since 1997.

Andy Burnham: Data on gross value added by region and country is published by ONS. Data for years from 1997 can be found in table 12.1 of the ONS publication Regional Trends published in 2006 at:
	www.statistics.gov.uk.

Exports: EU Countries

Peter Bone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the value was of the UK's exports to other European Economic Community (EEC) member states  (a) in total,  (b) in goods and  (c) in services expressed by the value of the pound in 2007 in the first 12 months after the UK joined the EEC.

Kitty Ussher: The value of UK exports to the EEC in 1974 was £5.5 billion (1974 prices). This is based on IMF data, which does not give a breakdown between goods and services, or allow for the figure to be expressed in the value of the pound in 2007. This is 33 per cent. of the total value of UK exports in 1974, which was £16.8 billion.

Public Expenditure: Wales

Adam Price: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the change to the budget of the National Assembly for Wales has been arising from the application of the Barnett formula comparability factor to expenditure on  (a) the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew,  (b) London and Continental Railway and  (c) the Channel Tunnel Rail Link;
	(2)  what the areas of devolved expenditure are upon which the comparability assessment for nuclear non-proliferation set out in the Statement of Funding Policy was based;
	(3)  how much has been spent on Cycling England since its inception; and what the corresponding change to the budget of the National Assembly for Wales was as a result of applying the Barnett formula comparability factor to this expenditure.

Andy Burnham: The expenditure by the U K Government on the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, London and Continental Railway and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link has no effect on the budget of the National Assembly for Wales. Although the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform incurs expenditure on nuclear non-proliferation and subscriptions to international organisations on behalf of the UK, elements of the spending in relation to subscriptions are devolved. Expenditure is no longer recorded by the Treasury on a separate programme object for Cycling England; such spending is now subsumed within other tansport programmes.

Throat Cancer

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were  (a) diagnosed with and  (b) died from throat cancer in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) the north east and (iv) the UK in each year since 1997.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 26 November 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many people have (a) been diagnosed with and (b) died from throat cancer in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) the North East and (iv) the UK in each year since 1997. (165401)
	'Throat cancer' is not a precise medical term. A number of different types of cancer can develop in the throat. Many patients and relatives use the term 'throat cancer' to mean cancer of the larynx (the voice box); or cancer of the thyroid gland (which is at the front of the base of the neck(; or cancer of the oesophagus (the food pipe). We assume that you sought information for one of these cancers.
	The latest available figures for (a) newly diagnosed cases of cancer (incidence) for the United Kingdom are for the year 2004. Numbers of cases of laryngeal, thyroid and oesophageal cancer for the years 1997 to 2004 for (i) Jarrow Parliamentary Constituency, (ii) South Tyneside County District, (iii) North East Government Office Region and (iv) United Kingdom are given in Tables 1-3 below.
	The latest available figures for (b) deaths are for the year 2006. Numbers of deaths from laryngeal, thyroid and oesophageal cancer for the years 1997 to 2006 for (i) Jarrow Parliamentary Constituency, (ii) South Tyneside County District, (iii) North East Government Office Region and (iv) United Kingdom are given in Tables 4-6 below.
	
		
			  Table 1. Registrations of newly diagnosed cases of laryngeal cancer( 1) : Jarrow parliamentary constituency, South Tyneside county district, north east government office region and United Kingdom, 1997 to 2004( 2) 
			   Jarrow  South Tyneside  North East  United Kingdom 
			 1997 7 13 143 2,315 
			 1998 11 19 167 2,299 
			 1999 9 13 140 2,358 
			 2000 5 10 138 2,440 
			 2001 8 10 145 2,335 
			 2002 6 10 138 2,173 
			 2003 3 7 139 2,195 
			 2004 6 10 143 2,168 
			 (1) Cancer of the larynx is defined as code C32 in the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). (2) Based on parliamentary constituency and local authority boundaries as of 2007.  Source:  Office for National Statistics  Welsh Cancer Intelligence & Surveillance Unit.  Scottish Cancer Registry, National Health Service in Scotland  Northern Ireland Cancer Registry 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2. Registrations of newly diagnosed cases of thyroid cancer( 1) : Jarrow parliamentary constituency, South Tyneside county district, north east government office region and United Kingdom, 1997 to 2004( 2) 
			   Jarrow  South Tyneside  North East  United Kingdom 
			 1997 0 2 46 1,235 
			 1998 1 3 58 1,309 
			 1999 1 3 54 1,348 
			 2000 3 4 57 1,405 
			 2001 2 3 60 1,488 
			 2002 0 2 69 1,522 
			 2003 0 1 53 1,584 
			 2004 4 6 75 1,638 
			 (1) Cancer of the thyroid is defined as code C73 in the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). (2) Based on parliamentary constituency and local authority boundaries as of 2007.  Source:  Office for National Statistics  Welsh Cancer Intelligence & Surveillance Unit  Scottish Cancer Registry, National Health Service in Scotland  Northern Ireland Cancer Registry 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3. Registrations of newly diagnosed cases of oesophageal cancer -: Jarrow parliamentary constituency, South Tyneside county district, north east government office region and United Kingdom, 1997 to 2004( 2) 
			   Jarrow  South Tyneside  North East  United Kingdom 
			 1997 7 10 311 7,101 
			 1998 10 16 287 7,049 
			 1999 8 19 296 7,294 
			 2000 11 20 317 7,391 
			 2001 5 15 290 7,580 
			 2002 14 23 323 7,570 
			 2003 11 15 343 7,674 
			 2004 5 25 300 7,653 
			 (1) Cancer of the oesophagus is defined as code C15 in the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). (2) Based on parliamentary constituency and local authority boundaries as of 2007.  Source:  Office for National Statistics  Welsh Cancer Intelligence & Surveillance Unit  Scottish Cancer Registry, National Health Service in Scotland  Northern Ireland Cancer Registry 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4. Number of deaths where laryngeal cancer( 1)  was the underlying cause of death: Jarrow parliamentary constituency, South Tyneside county district, north east government office region and United Kingdom, 1997 to 2006( 2, 3, 4, 5) 
			   Jarrow  South Tyneside  North East  United Kingdom 
			 1997 2 7 51 905 
			 1998 2 7 75 897 
			 1999 5 8 52 873 
			 2000 2 3 39 839 
			 2001 1 2 64 895 
			 2002 1 4 51 890 
			 2003 2 5 39 837 
			 2004 3 4 46 793 
			 2005 2 3 45 789 
			 2006 1 2 37 804 
			 (1) Cause of death for cancer of the larynx was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) code 161 and Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code C32. The introduction of ICD-10 in 2001 means that the numbers of deaths from this cause before 2001 are not completely comparable with later years. (2) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. (3 )Based on parliamentary constituency and local authority boundaries as of 2007. (4) UK figures include deaths of non-residents in Scotland and Northern Ireland, but not in England and Wales. (5) UK figures for 2006 include figures for Northern Ireland which are provisional until the publication of the Registrar General Annual Report in December 2007. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 5. Number of deaths where thyroid cancer( 1)  was the underlying cause of death: Jarrow parliamentary constituency, South Tyneside county district, north east government office region and United Kingdom, 1997 to 2006( 2, 3, 4, 5) 
			   Jarrow  South Tyneside  North East  United Kingdom 
			 1997 0 1 10 297 
			 1998 0 0 14 329 
			 1999 0 0 12 342 
			 2000 0 0 6 297 
			 2001 0 0 10 304 
			 2002 2 1 11 309 
			 2003 0 0 14 354 
			 2004 2 3 19 330 
			 2005 0 1 17 341 
			 2006 1 1 11 335 
			 (1) Cause of death for cancer of the thyroid was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) code 193 and Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code C73. The introduction of ICD-10 in 2001 means that the numbers of deaths from this cause before 2001 are not completely comparable with later years. (2) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. (3) Based on parliamentary constituency and local authority boundaries as of 2007. (4) UK figures include deaths of non-residents in Scotland and Northern Ireland, but not in England and Wales. (5) UK figures for 2006 include figures for Northern Ireland which are provisional until the publication of the Registrar General Annual Report in December 2007.  Source:  Office for National Statistics. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 6. Number of deaths where oesophageal cancer( 1)  was the underlying cause of death: Jarrow parliamentary constituency, South Tyneside county district, north east government office region and United Kingdom, 1997 to 2006( 2, 3, 4, 5) 
			   Jarrow  South Tyneside  North East  United Kingdom 
			 1997 10 20 299 6,740 
			 1998 15 19 327 6,815 
			 1999 9 17 280 6,969 
			 2000 15 28 310 6,911 
			 2001 8 25 297 7,044 
			 2002 11 17 322 7,260 
			 2003 10 18 318 7,351 
			 2004 7 22 319 7,231 
			 2005 11 20 331 7,422 
			 2006 8 21 324 7,418 
			 (1) Cause of death for cancer of the oesophagus was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) code 150 and Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code C15. The introduction of ICD-10 in 2001 means that the numbers of deaths from this cause before 2001 are not completely comparable with later years. (2) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. (3) Based on parliamentary constituency and local authority boundaries as of 2007. (4) UK figures include deaths of non-residents in Scotland and Northern Ireland, but not in England and Wales. (5) UK figures for 2006 include figures for Northern Ireland which are provisional until the publication of the Registrar General Annual Report in December 2007.  Source:  Office for National Statistics.

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what has been spent on recovering tax credit overpayments in each year since the introduction of tax credits; and what estimate he has made of future costs of recovery;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the cost of writing off debts arising from the overpayment of tax credits for  (a) 2003-04,  (b) 2004-05,  (c) 2005-06,  (d) 2006-07 and  (e) for all overpayments.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 20 November 2007
	 The total costs of administration of tax credits from 2003-04 to 2004-06 were published on 6 July 2007 in part two of the Standard Report on HM Revenue and Customs 2006-07 accounts together with provisional estimates for 2006-07. Details of administration costs for earlier years were published in the Inland Revenue Trust statements for those years. Details of tax credits overpayments written off from 2003-04 to 2005-06 were published in the same report.
	Details of Inland Revenue losses, including tax written off by HM Revenue and Customs, is published annually in the departmental accounts and are available on the departmental website.
	Information on the amount spent on recovering tax credits overpayments and the cost of writing off debts arising from the overpayment of tax credits is not available.

Crown Dependencies

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what legislation from  (a) Guernsey and  (b) the Isle of Man is awaiting promulgation by his Department.

Michael Wills: The legislation awaiting promulgation on behalf of Guernsey and the Isle of Man is listed in the following table.
	
		
			  Island  Law 
			 Isle of Man Presiding Officers Bill 2007 
			  Onchan District (Amendment) Bill 2007 
			   
			 Bailiwick of Guernsey Forgery and Counterfeiting (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 2006 
			  Law Reform (Inheritance and Miscellaneous Provisions) (Guernsey) Law, 2006 
			  Animal Welfare (Enabling Provisions) (Guernsey) Law, 2006 
			  Preferred Debts, Désastre Proceedings and Miscellaneous Provisions (Guernsey and Alderney) Law, 2006 
			  Road Traffic (Drink Driving) (Guernsey) (Amendment) Law, 2006 
			  Police Property and Forfeiture (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 2006 
			  Emergency and Health Workers (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 2006 
			  Homicide and Suicide (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 2006 
			  Public Order (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 2006 
			  Social Insurance (Guernsey) (Amendment) Law, 2006 
			  Fees Charges and Penalties (Guernsey) Law, 2007 
			  Competition and Trading Standards (Enabling Provisions) (Guernsey) Law, 2007 
			  Road Traffic (Parking Fees and Charges) (Enabling Provisions) (Guernsey) Law, 2007 
			  Income Tax (Guernsey) (Amendment) Law, 2007 
			  Motor Taxation and Licensing (Guernsey) (Amendment) Law, 2007 
			  Criminal Justice (International Co-operation) (Bailiwick of Guernsey) (Amendment) Law, 2007 
			  Regulation of Utilities (Bailiwick of Guernsey) (Amendment) Law, 2007 
			  Forfeiture of Money in Civil Proceedings Law, 2007 
			  Criminal Justice (Aiding and Abetting etc.) (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 2007 
			  Trusts (Guernsey) Law, 2007 
			   
			 Alderney Smoking (Prohibition in Public Places and Workplaces) (Alderney) 2007Law, 
			  Renewable Energy (Alderney) Law, 2007 
			   
			 Sark Sark Hall Trust (Dissolution) Law, 2007 
			  Real Property (Transfer Tax, Charging and Related Provisions) (Sark) Law, 2007 
			  Reform (Sark) Law, 2007

Departmental ICT

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which manufacturers' software is used in his Department.

Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Justice's manufacturers are:
	Adobe
	Apache Software Foundation
	Barron McCann
	BMC Software
	Business Objects
	Cable & Wireless Web Technology Group
	Cast Software
	Computer Associates
	Concorde
	Formscape
	Grisoft
	HP
	IBM
	McAfee
	Microsoft Corporation
	Mirapoint
	MySQL AB
	Network Intelligence
	Novell
	Oracle Corporation
	QAS
	Quest Software
	Red Hat
	Reddot Solutions
	SSL
	Sun Microsystems
	Symantec
	Tower Software
	Websense

Departmental Manpower

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many civil servants in his Department and its predecessors  (a) transferred to other Government departments and  (b) left the Civil Service in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply separately—13 November 2007,  Official Report, columns 203-7W.
	Statistics on civil servants transferring between Departments from the former Department of Constitutional Affairs is not published and therefore not available in the response from the National Statistician; however, an update on centrally held figures shows that a total of 107 staff transferred or moved on loan to other Government Departments for the year to September 2006.
	Figures for staff who left the civil service in each of the last five years can be found as part of the Annual Civil Service Statistics publication in the separate response from the National Statistician to this question.

Mohammed Ilyas Khan

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether any immigration cases previously adjudicated by  (a) Mr. Mohammed Ilyas Khan and Judge J have been reopened following the investigation of the Office for Judicial Complaints.

Bridget Prentice: No asylum or immigration appeals adjudicated by Judge Khan or Judge J have been reopened following the investigation by the Office for Judicial Complaints.

Prison Service

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he expects to publish the Carter and Corston reviews on prison services.

David Hanson: Baroness Corston published her review of women in the criminal justice system on 13 March 2007. The Government have given a broad welcome to the report and is exploring the best way of taking forward the recommendations with all the departments and agencies concerned. We hope to be able to respond in a positive way before Christmas.
	Lord Carter of Coles' review is looking at the long-term future of the prison estate and at both the supply and demand of prison places. We look forward to receiving Lord Carter's report once he has reached a conclusion, and will respond in due course.

Prisoners Release

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of prisoners released in  (a) England and  (b) London were reconvicted in each year since 1997.

David Hanson: The following table shows the available figures for the two-year re-offending rate for adult offenders in England and Wales discharged from prison in the first quarter of each year.
	
		
			   Two year re-offending rate (Percentage ) 
			 2000 65 
			 2002 67 
			 2003 66 
			 2004 65 
		
	
	Prior to 2000, different data was used to calculate figures on re-offending, and these earlier figures are not comparable. Further information is available in the most recent Statistical Bulletin on adult re-offending which can be found at the Ministry of Justice website:
	www.justice.gov.uk
	The analysis does not include a breakdown by area.

Young Offenders

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) 15,  (b) 16 and  (c) 17 year olds were on remand in each year since 1997 in each police authority area; and how many went on to serve a prison sentence.

Maria Eagle: The following table shows the number of 15, 16 and 17-year-olds held on remand in all prison establishments in England and Wales since 1997.
	
		
			   As at 30 June  each year 
			  Males and Females  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			  Aged 15
			 Untried 46 48 29 35 41 33 29 37 38 32 38 
			 Convicted unsentenced 28 38 15 16 7 26 8 15 14 27 25 
			  Aged 16
			 Untried 114 100 106 82 69 99 81 74 78 98 98 
			 Convicted unsentenced 57 83 49 32 29 55 40 44 43 36 35 
			 
			  Aged 17
			 Untried 308 294 298 255 195 188 218 221 221 250 239 
			 Convicted unsentenced 253 214 215 154 117 117 96 119 92 130 109 
		
	
	The figures are not broken down by area because the numbers are small and the accuracy at this level of detail cannot be guaranteed.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	Data is not held centrally to identify how many of the 15-17 year olds went on to serve a prison sentence. However, data collected from the courts shows that 50 per cent. of those remanded in custody go on to receive a custodial sentence (data published in table 4.8 of Criminal Statistics 2005, and website www.homeoffice.gov.uk)

Employees: Carers

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment his Department has made of the effect of care responsibilities on work-life balance for employees; and what assessment has been made of the potential merits of a care voucher scheme.

Jane Kennedy: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government are keen to ensure that people with caring responsibilities can make the most of opportunities to balance work with their caring responsibilities.
	They will look carefully at the costs and benefits of any further proposals, including whether it is the most effective mechanism for tackling the issues faced by carers, particularly those experienced by specific groups, when making an assessment of the case for intervention in this area.
	The Government keep tax reliefs under review and has received representations in this area. However, it does not believe that allowing employers to provide employees with tax and NICs free care vouchers is the most appropriate, fair or cost effective way of tackling the issues faced by carers.

Departmental Correspondence

Sarah Teather: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what percentage of inquiries received by his Office from the public were responded to within  (a) one week,  (b) 14 days,  (c) 28 days,  (d) two months and  (e) three months in the last period for which figures are available; and in what percentage of cases it took (i) over three months and (ii) over one year to respond.

Edward Miliband: Details of departments' and agencies handling of correspondence from MPs and Peers is published on an annual basis. The most recent statistics were published by way of a written ministerial statement on 28 March 2007,  Official Report, column 101WS. Information for 2007 will be published as soon as it is ready after the end of the calendar year.

Social Security Benefits

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reasons his Department's Green Paper, In Work, Better Off did not consider options for a single system of working age benefits; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The Green Paper "In Work better off: next steps to full employment" looks to achieving the next steps to the Government's long-term aim of full employment. We continue to modernise the benefit system with major reform of housing benefit and incapacity benefit scheduled for next year.
	We want to go further, but recognise that fundamental change to the system would take many years to implement and would affect most people. Change on this scale would require wide public debate and engagement and a degree of consensus if it is to be carried through. The Department will consider the best way to initiate such a public debate and will put forward proposals next year.

Carers: Voucher Schemes

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of an employer-supported care voucher scheme on his Department's target to increase the employment rate of people over 50 years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what consideration he has given to the effect of care responsibilities on women in work; and if he will assess the potential of a care voucher scheme, similar to that in operation for child care, to enable carers to balance better work and caring.

Jane Kennedy: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government are keen to ensure that people with caring responsibilities can make the most of opportunities to balance work with their caring responsibilities.
	They will look carefully at the costs and benefits of any further proposals, including whether it is the most effective mechanism for tackling the issues faced by carers, particularly those experienced by specific groups, when making an assessment of the case for intervention in this area.
	The Government keep tax reliefs under review and has received representations in this area. However, it does not believe that allowing employers to provide employees with tax and NICs free care vouchers is the most appropriate, fair or cost effective way of tackling the issues faced by carers.

Council Housing: Property Transfer

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many applications for gap funding have been received in the latest round of housing stock transfers, broken down by local authority area.

Iain Wright: As my right hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Planning mentioned in her answer to a question from my hon. Friend on 18 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1646W, 22 applications for places on the 2006 Housing Transfer programme were received from 14 local authorities in respect of housing stock which have a negative valuation. The list of authorities is given in the following table.
	
		
			  2006 Disposals programme 
			  Local authority  
			 Brighton and Hove city council Whole 
			 Castle Morpeth Whole 
			 Chester-le-street Whole 
			 London borough of Havering—Mardyke Partial 
			 Manchester-East Area Partial 
			 Manchester-Inner South Partial 
			 Manchester-South Partial 
			 North West Leicestershire Whole 
			 Plymouth Whole 
			 Ribble Valley Whole 
			 Salford Whole 
			 Sheffield—Harold Lambert and Manor Park Partial 
			 Sheffield—Richmond Park Partial 
			 Sheffield—Woodthorpe and Lower Manor Partial 
			 Sheffield—Wybourn Partial 
			 Tamworth Whole 
			 Torridge Whole 
			 Tower Hamlets—Chicksand East Partial 
			 Tower Hamlets—Digby and Greenways Partial 
			 Tower Hamlets—Libra Parnell Partial 
			 Tower Hamlets—St, Stephens Estate Partial 
			 Wansbeck Whole

Expenditure: Bournemouth

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much money has been allocated by the Government Office of the South West to the Bournemouth area in each of the last five years.

Parmjit Dhanda: Most Communities and local government funding allocations are decided centrally rather than by Government offices. However Government office for the south-west has had responsibility for administering the £169 million European Social Fund regional programme over the last five years.
	Due to the nature of the funding arrangements it is difficult to disaggregate amounts specifically for Bournemouth, because the funding is allocated on the basis of the boundaries used by Learning and Skills Council and Jobcentre Plus which for this area cover Bournemouth, Poole and Dorset. Some projects operate in just one area, some in all three local authority areas and some are regional. Government office has allocated £13.4 million to projects operating across this area over the period. Of this amount £6.4 million has been allocated directly by GOSW and a further £7 million has been allocated to the area through the Learning and Skills Council and Jobcentre Plus.
	Specific information on the value of projects in Bournemouth could be provided but would require mapping the detail of individual projects. It would be too costly to obtain information at this level of detail.

Housing: Energy

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many qualified domestic energy assessors there are in  (a) England,  (b) Essex and  (c) the Maldon district.

Yvette Cooper: The most recent data as at 5 November provides the following information on the number of accredited domestic energy assessors in England, Essex and the Maldon district.
	
		
			   Domestic energy assessors 
			 England 4,995 
			 Essex 164 
			 Maldon 4

Housing: Low Incomes

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what further steps she plans to take to increase the supply of  (a) affordable shared equity and rented family homes and  (b) key worker housing in (i) East Worthing and Shoreham and (ii) across West Sussex.

Yvette Cooper: In June 2007, we published the Housing Green Paper: "Homes for the future: more affordable, more sustainable" in which I announced £8 billion for affordable housing during the comprehensive spending review period. This represents a 38 per cent. increase on current spending. The funding will enable us to deliver 70,000 more affordable homes by 2010. We are also committed to providing 45,000 new affordable homes for rent by 2010-11 (a 50 per cent. increase) and 25,000 shared ownership and shared equity homes a year funded by the Housing Corporation. In addition, we will look to support additional shared ownership homes through public sector land and Local Housing Companies.
	Since April 2006, key workers have priority access to all of the Government's low cost home ownership products. Regional Housing Assemblies can focus resources where local need is greatest for example by prioritising key worker groups for assistance. We are currently waiting for the Regional Housing Board's recommendations on how investment should be spent over the next three years in the South East.

Housing: Low Incomes

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the number of key workers living in East Worthing and Shoreham;
	(2)  how many key workers were housed through the Key Worker Living Scheme in East Worthing and Shoreham in each year since the scheme's inception, broken down by key worker profession;
	(3)  many key workers were provided with  (a) Open Market HomeBuy,  (b) New Build HomeBuy and  (c) an intermediate rental through the Key Worker Living Scheme in East Worthing and Shoreham in each year since its inception;
	(4)  how many key workers in East Worthing and Shoreham are awaiting support via the Key Worker Living Scheme; and how many of those on waiting lists are listed for (a) Open Market HomeBuy,  (b) New Build HomeBuy and  (c) intermediate rental.

Yvette Cooper: Information at constituency level is not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Housing: Low Incomes

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the impact on public sector recruitment and retention of the Key Worker Living Scheme in  (a) East Worthing and Shoreham and  (b) West Sussex; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: DCLG commissioned an independent evaluation of the Key Worker Living (KWL) Scheme which was published in September 2006. The evaluation was undertaken by GHK Consulting and the Centre for Urban and Regional studies at the University of Birmingham.
	The study found that the KWL scheme is making a positive contribution towards improving recruitment and retention of key workers.
	It is for individual departments and the regional assemblies to assess the impact on public sector recruitment and retention in specific regions.

Housing: Low Incomes

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what percentage of the funding available for key working housing was given to the provision of housing in  (a) East Worthing and Shoreham and  (b) West Sussex in each year since 2004; and what percentage of this funding was provided for (i) Open Market HomeBuy, (ii) New Build HomeBuy and (iii) intermediate rental;
	(2)  what percentage of funding available for key worker housing in  (a) East Worthing and Shoreham and  (b) West Sussex was provided for (i) open market solutions and (ii) new build schemes.

Yvette Cooper: Funding allocations for the Key Worker Living programme were set in 2004 for the period 2004-05 to 2005-06. Of the funding available for key worker housing in the South East, 11 per cent. was given to the provision of housing in the county of West Sussex.
	The following table shows the percentage of funding available for key worker housing that was allocated in the county of West Sussex (which includes the local authorities of Worthing and Adur) for (i) Open Market HomeBuy, (ii) New Build HomeBuy and (iii) intermediate rental.
	
		
			  2004-06 
			   Percentage 
			 New Build 19 
			 Intermediate Rent 2 
			 Open Market HomeBuy(1) 80 
			 (1) 2004-06 Open Market HomeBuy includes Kent, East and West Sussex as part of the HomeBuy zone 
		
	
	Since April 2006, the Government no longer allocate funds for schemes specifically designated for key workers. Key workers now have priority access to all of the Government's low cost home ownership products.

Housing: Low Incomes

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how the work of HomeBuy agents is tracked and monitored.

Yvette Cooper: HomeBuy Agents provide a one stop-shop service for assessing eligibility and marketing low cost home ownership schemes. HomeBuy agents are required to provide the Housing Corporation with a monthly self assessment of compliance against Key Performance Standards, which are monitored by the Housing Corporation.

Housing: Standards

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities do not have a strategy for meeting the Decent Homes standard.

Iain Wright: All local authorities with the exception of Camden council, have a signed off options appraisal for their stock. Camden are currently working on their strategy for delivery.
	The following local authorities are currently revisiting their options appraisal: Castle Point, Brighton and Hove, Crawley, Croydon, Ellesmere Port and Neston, Mid Devon, NW Leicestershire, Plymouth, Stroud, Tamworth, Waveney and Wycombe.

Housing: Standards

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of homes that  (a) did and  (b) did not reach the decent homes standard at the most recent date for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: Our latest estimates for all homes in England is that 5,987,000 (27.5 per cent.) are non decent and 15,795,000 (72.5 per cent.) are decent. These figures are for 2005 and are derived from the English House Condition Survey and were published on 6 June 2007.
	In 1997 there were approximately 8,700,000 non decent homes (42 per cent.) and 12,014,000 decent homes (58 per cent.).

Local Authorities: Crime Prevention

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what powers are available to local authorities to compel landowners to take steps to secure their land in order to prevent it from being used for anti-social and criminal purposes.

Iain Wright: We do not know of any specific powers that could be used by local authorities to compel landowners to take steps to secure their land in order to prevent it from being used for antisocial and criminal purposes. However, there may be practical advice that local authorities can give to landowners whose land is at risk of being used for such activities. In addition, local authorities have powers under section 222 of the Local Government Act 1972 to bring legal proceedings on behalf of local communities. Authorities may wish to seek advice from their lawyers as to whether there is any right of action in relation to unsecured land. It should be noted that proceedings under section 222 can be used to take out injunctions against antisocial behaviour and where an injunction is granted, the court may, under section 91 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003, attach a power of arrest to such injunctions.

Regeneration: West Midlands

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Government have taken to promote regeneration in the West Midlands since 1997.

Parmjit Dhanda: Considerable central Government regeneration funds have been made available to the West Midlands since 1997—in total some £850 million. The main components are:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 Neighbourhood Renewal Fund 2003-08 306.54 
			 Neighbourhood Element 2006-10 12.23 
			 Cleaner Safer Greener Fund 2006-08 6.3 
			 Neighbourhood Management Pathfinder 2004-10 7.2 
			 New Deal for Communities (10-year programme to 2010) 319.5 
			 Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder (set to 2008) 200.00 
		
	
	Since Advantage West Midlands was established in 1999 it has between 1999-2000 and 2006-07 spent over £1.6 billion in connection with economic regeneration activity in the region. Advantage West Midland's budget allocation for 2007-09 is around £296 million.

Tees Valley Multi-Area Agreement

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the effects of the Tees Valley Multi-Area Agreement; and if she will make a statement.

John Healey: The Tees Valley is one of 13 sub-regions with whom Government will be working with on the development of a Multi-Area Agreement with a view to signing a final agreement by June 2008. The overall objective of MAAs is to facilitate the delivery of improved economic prosperity. As the Tees Valley MAA has not yet been signed, we have made no assessment of effects.

Afghanistan: Reconstruction

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what reports and studies have been conducted by his Department on UK-funded reconstruction initiatives in Afghanistan.

Shahid Malik: DFID recently funded a study by the Peace Dividend Trust entitled 'Afghanistan Compact Procurement Monitoring Project', the purpose of which was to measure the impact of international assistance to Afghanistan. It found that aid spent through the Government of Afghanistan's systems was four times more effective than funds spent through international companies or NGOs. This is one of the reasons why DFID currently puts over 80 per cent. of its bi-lateral aid programme through Government systems.
	In 2005, DFID commissioned King's College London to undertake a review of its support to Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs). The purpose of the review was to make recommendations on future engagement with PRTs. The review recommended the deployment of three Development Advisers to PRTs focussing on Helmand as a priority and the existing programme was reconfigured to better articulate DFID's approach to stabilisation.
	DFID also provides funding to the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU), an independent research institution that conducts and facilitates research to improve practice and increase the impact of humanitarian and development programmes in Afghanistan. DFID uses research findings to inform policy.

Departmental Food

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of  (a) beef,  (b) lamb,  (c) pork and  (d) dairy products used in his departmental headquarters were imported products in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Shahid Malik: I refer the hon. Member to the data published in the report deposited in the House of Commons' Library on 8 November 2007 that gives the proportion of UK produce supplied to Government Departments, the NHS and HM Prison Service. A copy of the report is also available online at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/policy/sustain/procurement/pdf/govt-food-usage.pdf

Departmental Publicity

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on staff working on  (a) marketing and  (b) branding in the last 12 month period for which figures are available.

Shahid Malik: The last 12-month period for which figures are available is October 2006 to October 2007. Between October 2006 and April 2007 the Publicity and Marketing Unit was part of the Building Support for Development team. Figures for this period cannot be disaggregated.
	Between April 2007 and October 2007 staff costs for the campaigns and marketing team were £218,756, which includes costs for overtime, travelling time and pension and national insurance contributions.

Developing Countries: Abortion

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his policy is on the provision of safe abortions in developing countries; and if he will make a statement.

Shahid Malik: DFID recognises that unsafe abortion is a major cause of maternal death and ill-health and believes that no woman should die or suffer as a result of unsafe abortion. A woman should have access to services and care that are safe, humane, accessible and respectful of her decision. She should also be able to access services for safely and effectively managing the complications arising from induced or spontaneous abortion. Lowering abortion related maternal deaths is a key way to reduce maternal mortality (Millennium Development Goal 5) given that nearly all deaths from unsafe abortion are preventable.
	DFID agrees that abortion should never be promoted as a means of family planning in line with the consensus agreed at the International Conference for Population and Development (ICPD) in 1994. Women and men should be able to access and choose good quality contraceptives to prevent unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.

Developing Countries: Common Sugar Regime

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which countries he expects to receive EU funding following the completion of national sugar action plans, as referred to in the answer of 8 October 2007,  Official Report, columns 8-9W, on ACP and developing countries: common sugar regime.

Gareth Thomas: The Sugar Protocol was signed between the European Union and 18 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries: Barbados, Belize, Republic of Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Fiji, Guyana, Jamaica, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, St. Kitts and Nevis, Swaziland, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
	According to the European Commission all 18 countries will benefit from the transitional assistance for sugar, although the amount allocated to each country will vary. The amount allocated to each country is based on two criteria; the impact of the sugar reform on the sugar sector of the country concerned and the importance of the sugar sector to the economy. The countries were required to draw up a national sugar adaptation strategy to show how they will spend their allocation.

Adult Education: Oxfordshire

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many adult learner accounts have been taken up in Oxfordshire since September.

David Lammy: As of 22 November 2007 a total of 791 Adult Learner Accounts had been opened by learners in the trial LSC areas of the South East and East Midlands: 38 of these were opened by individuals in Oxfordshire.
	As outlined in "World Class Skills: Implementing the Leitch Review of Skills in England" (July 07), the evaluation of these trials will inform the development of Skills Accounts to give adult learners greater choice, purchasing power and control over their learning, and to drive forward the implementation of demand led funding within Further Education.

Burgess Report

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much his Department has spent in implementing recommendations of the Burgess Report since its publication.

Bill Rammell: The Department has not spent any money on implementing Burgess recommendations.
	The Burgess Group's final report on proposals for national credit arrangements was published in December 2006 and the Group's final report on measuring and recording student achievement was published in October 2007. The Burgess Group was an HE sector group and the recommendations are for implementation by the HE sector. Work on the credit recommendations is being taken forward by a sector-led Credit Issues Development Group. Universities UK and Guild HE are currently considering their response to the report on measuring and recording student achievement.
	On recording achievement, I welcome the proposal to develop a Higher Education Achievement Report, to help present a more complete picture of a graduate's skills and knowledge than is captured solely in the overall degree classification. However, I believe progress can best be made by building on the current system, and certainly not by replacing degree classifications. The HE sector will need to consider carefully the best way to provide the additional information, while maintaining stability in the system.

Departmental Catering

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what percentage of  (a) beef,  (b) lamb,  (c) pork and  (d) dairy products used in his departmental headquarters were imported products in the most recent period for which figures are available.

David Lammy: For the period 1 January to 30 June 2007 the percentage of imported beef, sheep meat, pork and dairy products used within DIUS Headquarters buildings was 84 per cent. of beef, 93 per cent. of lamb, 76 per cent. of pork and 7 per cent. of dairy products.

Departmental Manpower

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many civil servants in his Department and its predecessors  (a) transferred to other Government departments and  (b) left the Civil Service in each of the last five years.

David Lammy: The Department was formed in the Machinery of Government changes announced on 28 June 2007. Its formation involved the headcount transfer of 536 staff from the former Department for Education and Skills and 243 from the department of Trade and Industry (total 779 staff). There have been no significant numbers of staff movements or departures since that date. The latest staffing figure for my department is a headcount total of 761 staff or full-time equivalent of 727.

Departmental Publicity

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many full-time equivalent staff are responsible for brand management and marketing in his Department and its agencies.

David Lammy: DIUS currently employs a team of 7.2 FTE staff who are responsible for marketing and brand management. The team is responsible for marketing campaigns through the paid for media—TV, press, radio—such as the current Student Finance Campaign—as well as delivery of DIUS information through key channels publications and the corporate website. The team ensures that appropriate branding is visible on all DIUS communications.
	 National Weighs and Measures Laboratory
	National Weighs and Measures Laboratory employs 0.4 FTE staff responsible for brand management and marketing.
	 Intellectual Property Office
	The only marketing undertaken in the UK-IPO is in relation to commercial services where 1.6 staff are currently engaged. Brand management is a very small part of the activity—less than 0.2 FTE.
	For a limited time, one person from IPO was recently seconded to support the branding of a newly formed DIUS. This secondment will cease at the end of this year.

Graduates: Debt

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Reading, East of 3 September 2007,  Official Report, column 1756W, on graduates: debt, 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effect of course choice on the average amount of time needed by  (a) male and  (b) female students in higher education to repay debts incurred during study;
	(2)  what assumptions about  (a) the gender pay gap,  (b) fertility,  (c) nuptuality,  (d) real earnings growth and  (e) graduate income premium he made in estimating the average amount of time needed by graduates to repay debts incurred during study by (i) men and (ii) women.

Bill Rammell: We estimate that a male student who entered higher education in 2006/07 will take an average of 11 years to repay their student loan. We estimate that this will be 16 years for a female. These periods are counted from the statutory repayment due date, which is the April following the year of graduation.
	The calculations are based on assumptions about graduate lifetime earnings, derived from the British Household Panel Survey and the Labour Force Survey. The calculations therefore take account of earnings growth due to career progression, gender, age and periods spent unemployed or inactive for other reasons such as having children. Real earnings growth for the graduate population as a whole is assumed to be 1.95pp above inflation.
	Separate analysis of the benefits of higher education estimates that over the working life, the average net graduate earnings premium is comfortably over £100,000 in today's valuation, compared to what a similar individual would have earned if they just had A levels.

Higher Education: Fees and Charges

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the purpose is of the Intercalating Year Abroad Fee; what method is used for calculating the Intercalating Year Abroad Fee; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 22 November 2007
	English higher education institutions are permitted, under the Education (Student Support) Regulations 2007 (SI 2007 No, 176) to charge a tuition fee for a student studying abroad for a year as part of their degree course, of up to half the maximum fee for other home undergraduates. The amount actually charged is a matter for the institution. Students who spend a full academic year abroad on the European Commission's Erasmus scheme have their tuition fees waived for that year. This information applies to England only.

Higher Education: Student Numbers

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills when the Government expect to meet its 50 per cent. participation rate target in university education for young people aged 18 to 30 years.

Bill Rammell: Our long-term vision is that the UK should be a world leader on skills, in the upper quartile of OECD rankings by 2020, meeting the recommendations of the Leitch review. Consistent with that vision, we have set a long term primary target to increase the proportion of the workforce with higher level skills from under 30 per cent. now to over 40 per cent. by 2020 and as a contribution towards that goal a supporting target to increase participation in higher education towards 50 per cent. of those aged 18-30 with growth of at least a percentage point every two years to the academic year 2010-11. The precise date on which we reach these targets will depend on the outcome of future spending reviews and on continuing to increase demand for higher education among people of all ages and backgrounds who would benefit from entering higher education. Our policies will therefore continue to increase and widen participation.

Older Workers

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment he has made of the types of learning required to help older people remain economically active; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: Older people are a hugely valued part of our society, contributing more and more in later life. Almost 8 million people over 50 work and age legislation means that age need no longer be a barrier to working, training or promotion. Our economic success is increasingly dependent on our older work force being as skilled and as productive as younger workers, but too many older workers do not have the basic literacy, numeracy and work place skills they need to succeed, and too few are engaging in education and training to change that.
	Our strategy for World Class Skills sets bold targets and our reforms include supporting individuals, including older workers, into sustainable employment and progression in work and in skills. We are committed to ensuring equal opportunities for all learners. Our targets cover workers and learners of all ages and our reforms balance skills and economic prosperity with fairness and inclusion. We will give greater ownership and choice to individuals over their training through skills accounts backed up by a new universal adult careers service that will provide free skills health checks for people of any age at key stages in working life.
	We are also working with employers through Train to Gain and the Skills Pledge to meet skill needs and to ensure that all employees including older people have the basic skills, including literacy and numeracy and Level 2 skills (equivalent to five good GCSEs) needed to sustain and progress in employment. We are increasing funding for Train to Gain from £440 million in 2007/08 to over £900 million in 2010/11. We want to encourage all employers in England to make a Skills Pledge that is a specific promise that every eligible employee will be helped to gain basic skills and a full Level 2 qualification.

Skilled Workers: Trade Unions

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps he is taking to encourage more employers to work with trade unions on developing the Skills for Life programme.

David Lammy: holding answer 22 November 2007
	Employers and trade unions have a key role to play in supporting people to improve their literacy, language and numeracy skills.
	The Government make a contribution of £3 million each year to the Union Learning Fund to help develop a focus on Skills for Life within Union Learning Fund projects and to help give Union Learning Representatives (ULRs) the skills to support literacy language and numeracy learners.
	Our efforts to improve skills in the work force will be much more effective if they are delivered with the joint support of employers, learners and those, like trade unions, who can support learning. Through the Skills Pledge, we are encouraging employers to commit to addressing the skills needs of their employees and in particular, people with poor basic skills and without a full Level 2 qualification.
	We have a number of initiatives in place to encourage employers to address Skills for Life needs and to sign the Skills Pledge. In each case, we have encouraged partners to work with the TUC/Unionlearn to maximise the effectiveness of addressing skills needs.
	We have been working with Business in the Community (BITC) to engage large, high profile employers since 2003. BITC have recruited over 30 senior business leaders as Employer Champions for Skills for Life and have worked with over 150 major companies including, DHL, SERCO and VT Shipbuilding.
	Since 2004, BITC have run an annual Skills for Life Award recognising best practice in delivering Skills for Life programmes. Each of the award winners, and many of the runner up entrants, has delivered programmes in their organisation in partnership with relevant trade unions.
	We are working with the Skills for Business network through Asset Skills as the lead Sector Skills Council on Skills for Life. Sector Skills Councils have a role in raising awareness of literacy, language and numeracy skills among the employers they represent, in supporting them in addressing needs within their footprint and in ensuring that qualifications reflect the literacy, language and numeracy requirements of their sectors. Asset skills has recently signed a joint agreement with unionlearn to support joint activity on Skills for Life.
	Working with the Cabinet Office and Government Skills SSC, we want to raise basic skills levels across central Government and to influence the public sector more widely. Cabinet Office consults with the relevant unions on the approach to staff development across central Government and there are a number of examples where PCS has worked closely with central Government Departments on Skills for Life—for example with the Department for Work and Pensions and Inland Revenue.

Students: Public Participation

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills whether a formal assessment was made of the quality of student representation provided by the National Union of Students before the decision to establish the National Student Forum was taken.

Bill Rammell: The Government are strongly committed to a new style of politics and citizen engagement. We are ambitious to find new ways to engage the British people in the policy-making process through informed debate.
	The Forum will not duplicate or attempt to replace the work of student representative bodies, of which the NUS is one, but will provide a new and complementary way for students to engage with policy-makers nationally. Therefore, the quality of existing representative groups is not at issue. We greatly value the representation and advocacy work of the National Union of Students, unlike the last government which sought to decimate the NUS through the introduction of voluntary membership of student unions, and it is one of our key partners in the creation of the Forum. The Forum is intended to provide students from a wide range of personal and academic backgrounds with direct access to Government and policy-making agencies, giving a greater voice to students at a national level.

Vocational Training: Finance

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many skills brokers working through the Train to Gain programme received public funding in 2006-07; what their performance targets were; how many and what value of payments were related to their performance; and how their performance was assessed and measured.

David Lammy: There are around 450 Train to Gain Skills Brokers working in England for the LSC. Skills broker's performance targets for 2006-07 were 47,770 employer engagements, of which at least 51 per cent. had to be "hard to reach". We define hard-to-reach as employers that are not IiP recognised and have not accessed substantial vocational training leading to a qualification within the last 12 months. The interim data for 2006-07 indicates that there were 52,370 engagements of which 72 per cent. were categorised as "hard to reach".

Local Policing

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to increase transparency and accountability in arrangements for local policing.

Tony McNulty: We are strongly committed to increasing transparency and accountability in arrangements for local policing, from giving local communities a better opportunity to shape local policing priorities and the response to those priorities through the roll out of neighbourhood policing, to our plans to provide every community with monthly crime information for their local area.
	We want to build further on this progress, and that is why we asked Sir Ronnie Flanagan to look specifically at how local accountability arrangements could be strengthened as part of his Independent Review of Policing, the final report of which we look forward to in the new year.

Migration

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues on the co-ordination of migration policy between Government Departments.

Liam Byrne: Home Office Ministers discuss migration policy with ministerial colleagues on a regular basis through the Cabinet Committee structure, in particular the Ministerial Committee for Domestic Affairs Sub-Committee on Migration.
	Several Government Departments are represented on the Migration Advisory Committee and the Migration Impact Forum.
	We also work closely with individual departments on a range of more specific issues relating to migration policy. For example, in June 2007 we published our joint Home Office/Foreign Office International Strategy on migration.

Border Security

Dari Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the potential contribution of the e-borders scheme to the security of the UK's borders.

Liam Byrne: The e-borders programme is a key component of our wider strategy to strengthen and modernise our border control and will mean that we will be able to count people in and out of the country. It sits as part of our programme to introduce biometric visas, and visa waiver programme to provide the UK with a new and robust offshore border control designed to complement the UK counter-terrorism strategy.
	In developing e-borders, we have undertaken a thorough assessment of the requirements of the core agencies, including the Border and Immigration Agency, UKvisas, HM Revenue and Customs, the police service and the security and intelligence agencies.
	E-borders is already being successfully tested and trialled through an operational prototype. Since November 2004, Project Semaphore has generated over nearly 17,000 alerts and over 1,300 arrests.

Government Advisers

David Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will take steps to ensure that religious leaders who are advising on Government policy do not have an extremist background.

Tony McNulty: The Government have made clear that it is fundamentally rebalancing their engagement with Muslim organisations towards those organisations which take a leadership role in rejecting and condemning violent extremism and upholding shared values. That will be the guiding principle in engaging with religious leaders who advise Government.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of antisocial behaviour orders in reducing antisocial behaviour in the last 12 months.

Vernon Coaker: Three independent reports have confirmed our approach to tackling antisocial behaviour is working. Also, we have appointed IPSOS Mori to undertake a qualitative study investigating the circumstances in which different antisocial behaviour interventions are most effective. Antisocial behaviour orders are just one of these. The outcome is to be published in 2008.

Alcoholic Drinks: Chelmsford

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to reduce alcohol-related antisocial behaviour in Chelmsford.

Vernon Coaker: We are strongly committed to tackling, not tolerating, antisocial behaviour. That is why local Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships were introduced under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. These enable the police, local authorities and other agencies representing the local community to work together to identify the crime and disorder problems in their area and take action to tackle them.
	Specifically in Chelmsford, a Section 30 Dispersal Order was introduced in Chelmsford Town Centre on 15 November; the police carry out high visibility patrols; the licensing laws are enforced; a Pub Link Scheme is in operation; educational programmes are in place for young people and adults, and Chelmsford also have a local Drug and Alcohol Strategy which is being reviewed for 2008.

Antisocial Behaviour: West Midlands

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government have taken to reduce levels of antisocial behaviour in the West Midlands since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: We are strongly committed to tackling, not tolerating, antisocial behaviour. That is why local crime and disorder reduction partnerships were introduced under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. These enable the police, local authorities and other agencies representing the local community to work together to identify the crime and disorder problems in their area and take action to tackle them.
	Antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) were introduced in 1999 and the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 created a range of additional tools for tackling antisocial behaviour and we are working hard across Government and with those agencies on the ground to ensure that the measures that are already in place are being used as effectively as possible. Presently, the Home Office is reviewing and updating the current guidance for the tools and powers available to practitioners.
	Specifically in the West Midlands; Coventry has established a multi-agency tasking process to ensure police, housing and local authority resources, including the citywide warden service are deployed in the right areas, Wolverhampton has established a dedicated phone line to allow members of the public to tackle antisocial behaviour and in Birmingham the local authority has implemented a Family Intervention Project, run by Shelter and has appointed a parenting co-ordinator to deliver evidence based parenting programmes across the city. The Local Government User Satisfaction Survey (LGUSS) shows that the vast majority of local authorities in the West Midlands have seen a significant reduction in the levels of perception of antisocial behaviour in 2006-07 compared with 2003-04. The data from this survey can be found on the Respect website at:
	www.respect.gov.uk

Anti-Terrorism Control Orders

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether any of the individuals who have been subjected to control orders have been treated for self-inflicted injuries.

Tony McNulty: Since control orders came into force in 2005, we are aware of two individuals who have been treated for self-inflicted injuries while on a control order. The Home Office, police and (as appropriate) the Prison Service the take mental and physical health of all individuals subject to a control order seriously. This includes monitoring the impact of the control order on the individual's (and his family's) physical and mental health; seeking representations from the individual on the impact of the control order on him and his family; and regularly reviewing the control order and its constituent obligations in the light of the order's impact on the individual's personal circumstances.

Children: Protection

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many specialist child protection officers have been employed in each police force area in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: Figures collected by the Home Office, on police officer and staff numbers by function, does not separately identify child protection officers.

Community Relations

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what training is being provided to neighbourhood police teams on dealing with radicalisation in their local communities; where such courses are delivered; and what the duration of such courses is.

Tony McNulty: I refer to the reply I gave on 19 November 2007,  Official Report, column 504-05W to my hon. Friend, the Member for Rotherham (Mr. MacShane).
	In addition to the advice and training already available to Neighbourhood Policing Teams, some also receive bespoke 'Intelligence and Community Engagement' training, which examines the issues relating to Neighbourhood Policing Teams' engagement with local communities. This training, which lasts a day and is delivered in force, is being piloted in four police forces and consideration is now being given to its wider dissemination. Police personnel are also able to learn about how to deal with radicalisation through a specific internet website.
	The National Policing Improvement Agency is currently completing a major Training Needs Analysis for Counter Terrorism which includes an analysis of training needs in the areas of radicalisation and extremism. The new learning programme will be available in 2008.

Departmental Opinion Polls

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what opinion polls the Department has conducted of  (a) the public and  (b) staff since 27 June 2007; and what the (i) name of the firm employed to conduct the poll, (ii) purpose and (iii) cost to the public purse was in each case.

Liam Byrne: The information is as follows.
	 (a) Since 27 June 2007 the Department has conducted one wave public opinion polling across a broad range of Home Office issues, this was during August 2007. This polling was carried out by Ipsos MORI, at a cost of £13,875 (ex VAT).
	The polling was used to give the Department a better understanding of public priorities, concerns and satisfaction levels. This will help direct the Department's strategy and future policy initiatives.
	 (b) The Home Office headquarters, Border and Immigration Agency and Identity and Passport Service have not conducted any opinion polls of staff since 27 June 2007. The Criminal Records Bureau employed the research company Ipsos MORI to conduct a staff survey between 10 and 28 September 2007. This is an annual consultation exercise with staff to gain feedback on any issues of concern that senior management can take steps to address and it was undertaken at a cost of £25,000.

Departmental Publicity

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department and its agencies spent on managing their corporate identities in the last 12 month period for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: Over the past 12 months £77,069 has been spent on managing corporate identity when Border and Immigration Agency became a shadow executive agency.

Departmental Wines

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will take steps to ensure that English wine is served exclusively or at the request of guests at meals, parties and receptions hosted by her Department; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: All public procurement procedures must comply with the EC treaty. The key principles of the treaty, from a public procurement point of view, are the free movement of goods and services, and non-discrimination on the grounds of nationality. This legislation is designed to ensure that all public procurement across the European Union is fair, transparent and non-discriminatory.
	This means that the Home Department cannot specify that it will only buy goods (eg wine) from a particular country or locality, as that would discriminate against producers from other EU member states.
	However, the Government are committed to increase opportunities for small and local suppliers to tender for contracts, thus increasing competition and securing better value for money. The Home Office does this by advertising contracts on the Home Office eSourcing Portal www.homeoffice.bravosolution.com which reduces bureaucracy in the procurement process.
	The facility management contractor for the Department's headquarters building includes a number of English wines on its hospitality menu for selection at departmental functions.

Drugs: Misuse

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what drugs programmes are administered by her Department; and what the budget for each was for the last five years for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: The Home Office is responsible for administering the national sports based Positive Futures social inclusion Programme, Blueprint drug research programme and the Drug Interventions Programme. The Home Office is also jointly responsible with the Department of Health and Department for Children, Schools and Families for the management of the FRANK drug awareness campaign. The Home Office also contributes to and manages the cross-Government Young People Substance Misuse Partnership Grant.
	Total expenditure on these drugs programme was captured within the Home Office departmental report for 2006-07 on our previous strategic objective that fewer people's lives are ruined by drugs and alcohol. The relevant figures are set out as follows, including outturn figures for 2006-07 where an estimate was published previously:
	
		
			  £000 
			   Resource  Capital 
			  Outturn   
			 2003-04 96,351 0 
			 2004-05 206,904 2,174 
			 2005-06 184,468 800 
			 2006-07 211,472 20,272 
			
			  Planned   
			 2007-08 192,876 1,500 
			  Notes: 1. 2004-05 includes net in year budget transfers of about £24,000, which were subsequently processed in line with PES 2005 12. 2. 2006-07 includes £17,459 misallocated capital that is being corrected. 3. 2006-07 and 2007-08 figures both exclude £11,273 resource disbursed as grants under local area agreements and now classified separately on the HM Treasury database.  Source: HM Treasury database

Entry Clearances: Employment

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate she has made of the number of A2 nationals likely to enter the UK for employment purposes annually  (a) under existing arrangements; and  (b) following full right of access under EU law.

Liam Byrne: The Border and Immigration Agency has not made any estimates of the number of A2 nationals likely to enter the UK for employment purposes following full right of access under EU law. Figures on migration since January 2007 are available in the quarterly releases of Romanian and Bulgarian Accession Statistics which can be found on the BIA website
	http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/aboutus/reports/bulgarianandromanianaccession.
	I will place in the House Library copies of the most recent quarterly release.

Human Trafficking

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions her Department has had with the Scottish Executive on Operation Pentameter 2.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 22 November 2007
	 There have been regular discussions with the Scottish Executive in relation to the conduct of Operation Pentameter 2. The Scottish Executive is represented alongside the Home Office on the police—led multi-agency co-ordination group leading the operation.

National Missing Persons Bureau

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information technology equipment and resources are available to the police National Missing Persons Bureau.

Tony McNulty: The Police National Missing Persons Bureau (PNMPB) currently use a Metropolitan Police Service system called Merlin to record and search records of missing persons. They also have access to PNC (Police National Computer) to carry out checks on missing/wanted persons and utilise open source facilities such as the internet and electoral roll for various searches. The PNMPB has responsibility for the UKMissingkids.com website and, therefore, has the requisite software to host this site.
	In April 2008, the PNMPB will transfer to the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA). From this time, accessibility to technology and resources will be significantly enhanced. The NPIA is implementing Hermes as the database for the PNMPB. Hermes is a purpose built database developed and implemented in to the Missing People Charity through the Invest to Save Initiative in 2004-05. The shared technology between the bureau and the charity will facilitate effective transfer of data between the two organisations and collaborative efforts on research and analysis projects.
	The PNMPB, under the NPIA, will also have access to, and be able to search, the PNC. In addition, the bureau will be able to triangulate reports of missing persons with serious offences and the activities of sexual and dangerous offenders by having direct access to ViSOR (Violent and Sex Offender Register), INI (IMPACT Nominal Index) and SCAS (Serious Crime Analysis Section) data. They will also be able to access the child homicide database CATCHEM (Central Analytical Team Collating Homicide Expertise and Management), the National Injuries Database, and liaise with the National DNA Database custodian—the NPIA.

National Security

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department from which Government departments the 160 counter-terrorism advisers she announced in her statement of 14 November 2007,  Official Report, columns 667-72, on national security, will be sourced.

Tony McNulty: Counter-terrorism security advisers are employed by police forces.

Offenders: Deportation

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Prime Minister's oral statement of 14 November on national security, to which countries the 4,000 foreign prisoners referred to are to be deported.

Liam Byrne: Nationals of all countries can be considered for deportation. The Chief Executive of the Border and Immigration Agency, Lin Homer, wrote to the Home Affairs Committee on 20 November 2007 and explained that up to the first week of November, approximately 3,500 foreign national prisoners have been removed or deported in 2007. This already represents a 48 per cent. improvement on the total number of FNPs removed for the entire calendar year of 2006, and over 130 per cent. more that for the calendar years 2004 and 2005. A copy of this letter is available from the Library of the House.

Passports: Forgery

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what stage the Document Scanning Equipment with Forgery Detection Capability Tender for  (a) Heathrow airport,  (b) other airports and  (c) Eurotunnel has reached.

Liam Byrne: All ports and airports were equipped with document readers with forgery detection capability as part of a technical refresh which was completed in March 2007.

Passports: Fraud

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are being taken to manage people who arrive at airports in the UK without the passports with which they checked in at their departure airport.

Liam Byrne: All arriving passengers are subjected to a Border and Immigration Agency Warnings Index check. Where the passenger does not hold a passport, they are subject to further examination in order satisfactorily to establish their identity and nationality. Additional checks may also be conducted including checks with the police, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, UK Visas and the Identity and Passport Service.
	Passengers who arrive without documentation and claim asylum are interviewed, photographed and have their fingerprints taken; their personal details are cross checked against records.
	Where a passenger arrives without a document and the inbound flight details are not known, inquiries are conducted in order to establish the carrier and to identify if there are any grounds to suspect that the passenger's entry has been facilitated by a third party. If such a party is detected then prosecution under section 25 of the Immigration Act 1971 (as amended) may follow.
	Foreign nationals who arrive undocumented and are unable to provide a statutory defence for their actions may have committed an offence under section 2 of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants) Act 2004 and may be prosecuted accordingly.

Police: Interpreters and Translators

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of translators in police stations was in  (a) England and  (b) each London borough in each year since 1997.

Tony McNulty: Funding for translation and interpretation services is not separately identified. Decisions on the distribution of resources are matters for the Chief Officer and the Police Authority.

Police: Stun Guns

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions taser stun guns have been  (a) drawn,  (b) arced as a demonstration warning,  (c) applied in a drive stun and  (d) fired by each police force since 2003.

Tony McNulty: Five police forces in England and Wales started trialling the use of Taser in April 2003. In September 2004 my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary approved chief officers throughout England and Wales to deploy Taser to authorised firearms officers in their force where a firearms authority has been granted in accordance with criteria laid down in the ACPO Manual of Guidance on Police Use of Firearms.
	Since 20 July 2007 authorised police firearms officers in England and Wales have been able to deploy Taser in operations or incidents where the use of firearms is not authorised, but where they are facing violence or threats of violence of such severity that they would need to use force to protect the public, themselves or the subject. The deployment of laser by specially trained police units who are not firearms officers, but who are facing similar threats of violence, is also being trialled in 10 police forces. The 12 month trial began on 1 September 2007.
	The use of Taser by police forces in England and Wales has been provided by the Association of Chief Police Officers and is shown in the following table. The figures in the table do not include uses by authorised firearms officers outside a firearms operation or in the trial by specially trained units. These figures have not yet been centrally collated and verified.
	
		
			  Force  Drawn/aimed/red -dot  Arced  Drive stunned  Fired  Total incidents when Taser 'used' 
			 Avon and Som 3 1 0 8 12 
			 Bedfordshire 2 1 0 8 11 
			 Cambridgeshire 15 0 0 2 17 
			 Cheshire 4 2 0 6 12 
			 City of London 2 0 0 0 2 
			 Cleveland 27 0 1 20 48 
			 Cumbria 8 2 0 1 11 
			 Derbyshire 12 0 0 2 14 
			 Devon and Cornwall 0 1 0 9 10 
			 Dorset 26 3 2 15 46 
			 Durham 23 0 0 17 40 
			 Dyfed-Powys 1 0 0 0 1 
			 Essex 5 0 1 6 12 
			 Gloucester 10 0 0 7 17 
			 GMP 4 0 1 11 16 
			 Gwent 5 0 0 4 9 
			 Hampshire 0 0 0 8 8 
			 Hertfordshire 9 0 2 5 16 
			 Humberside 24 4 0 2 30 
			 Lancashire 15 0 1 11 27 
			 Leicestershire 0 3 0 0 3 
			 Lincolnshire* 11 3 1 6 21 
			 Kent 0 0 0 2 2 
			 Merseyside 22 1 1 6 30 
			 Metropolitan* 66 4 27 112 209 
			 Norfolk 2 0 1 6 9 
			 North Wales* 48 2 1 12 63 
			 North Yorkshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Northants* 8 0 0 5 13 
			 Northumbria 42 0 0 5 47 
			 Nottinghamshire 0 0 0 2 2 
			 South Wales 0 0 0 1 1 
			 South Yorkshire 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Staffordshire 37 2 0 2 41 
			 Suffolk 0 0 0 8 8 
			 Surrey 0 1 1 0 2 
			 Sussex 2 0 0 4 6 
			 Thames Valley* 5 0 1 5 11 
			 Warwickshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 West Mercia 8 0 0 6 14 
			 West Midlands 18 0 1 22 41 
			 West Yorkshire 40 6 3 33 82 
			 Wiltshire 0 0 0 2 2 
			 Total 504 36 45 382 967 
			 * Denotes original trial force (includes data from April 2003)  Notes: 1. Table as at 16 November 2007 (England and Wales) 2. Only the highest level of 'use' during each incident is recorded (multiple uses during the same incident are only recorded once on this table)

Terrorism: Detainees

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 13 November 2007,  Official Report, column 86W, on terrorism detainees, how many of the eight people detained and charged were charged with terrorism offences only.

Tony McNulty: All eight individuals were charged with terrorism related offences. However, not all offences with which suspected terrorists may be charged are necessarily contained in the Terrorism Act. Many are charged with offences under other legislation such as the Firearms Act or the Explosives Substances Act. The breakdown of charges for the eight individuals is listed as follows:
	
		
			   Charge 
			 1. 1x Conspiracy to Murder (Sec 1(1) Criminal Law Act 1977) 
			  1x Preparation of Terrorist Acts (Sec 5 (1) TACT 2006) 
			   
			 2. 1x Preparation of Terrorist Acts (Sec 5 (1) TACT 2006) 
			  1x Possession of a Prohibited Weapon (Sec 5.1 Firearms Act 1968) 
			  1x Possession of ammunition (Sec 1.1b Firearms Act 1968) 
			  1x Possession of a silencer without a firearms licence (Sec 1.1b Firearms Act 1968) 
			   
			 3. 1x Having information about acts of terrorism (Sec 38b (1)(a) and (2) TACT 2000 
			   
			 4. 1 x Preparation of Terrorist Acts (Sec 5 (1) TACT 2006) 
			   
			 5. 1x Conspiracy to Murder (Sec 1 (1) Criminal Law Act 1977) 
			  1x Preparation of Terrorist Acts (Sec 5 (1) TACT 2006) 
			   
			 6. 1x Conspiracy to Murder (Sec 1 (1) Criminal Law Act 1977) 
			  1 x Preparation of Terrorist Acts (Sec 5 (1) TACT 2006) 
			   
			 7. 1x Attending a place for instruction or training in terrorism (Sec 8 TACT 2006) 
			  1x Collection of information for terrorism purposes (Sec 58 (1)(a) TACT 2000 
			   
			 8. 1x Conspiracy to cause explosions (Section 3 (1a) of the Explosives Substances Act 1883)

Theft: Bicycles

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many reported thefts of bicycles there were in  (a) England and  (b) each London borough in each year since 1997.

Tony McNulty: The available information is given in the following tables.
	
		
			  Table 1: recorded offences of theft of a pedal cycle—1997 
			   1997 
			 Barking and Dagenham n/a 
			 Barnet n/a 
			 Bexley n/a 
			 Brent n/a 
			 Bromley n/a 
			 Camden n/a 
			 City of Westminster n/a 
			 Croydon n/a 
			 Ealing n/a 
			 Enfield n/a 
			 Greenwich n/a 
			 Hackney n/a 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham n/a 
			 Haringey n/a 
			 Harrow n/a 
			 Havering n/a 
			 Hillingdon n/a 
			 Hounslow n/a 
			 Islington n/a 
			 Kensington and Chelsea n/a 
			 Kingston upon Thames n/a 
			 Lambeth n/a 
			 Lewisham n/a 
			 Merton n/a 
			 Newham n/a 
			 Redbridge n/a 
			 Richmond upon Thames n/a 
			 Southwark n/a 
			 Sutton n/a 
			 Tower Hamlets n/a 
			 Waltham Forest n/a 
			 Wandsworth n/a 
			 Total 17,276 
			   
			 Total London(1) 17,433 
			 Total England 134,401 
			 n/a = not available. (1) includes the City of London police and the Metropolitan police service. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Recorded offences of theft of a pedal cycle—1998-99 to 2001-02 
			   1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02 
			 Barking and Dagenham n/a n/a 165 123 
			 Barnet n/a n/a 215 210 
			 Bexley n/a n/a 201 154 
			 Brent n/a n/a 217 242 
			 Bromley n/a n/a 254 247 
			 Camden n/a n/a 1,007 1,072 
			 City of Westminster n/a n/a 1,076 1,148 
			 Croydon n/a n/a 287 275 
			 Ealing n/a n/a 502 452 
			 Enfield n/a n/a 225 203 
			 Greenwich n/a n/a 220 210 
			 Hackney n/a n/a 619 726 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham n/a n/a 1,010 1,006 
			 Haringey n/a n/a 225 168 
			 Harrow n/a n/a 100 132 
			 Havering n/a n/a 202 180 
			 Hillingdon n/a n/a 359 264 
			 Hounslow n/a n/a 571 473 
			 Islington n/a n/a 785 829 
			 Kensington and Chelsea n/a n/a 715 730 
			 Kingston upon Thames n/a n/a 409 392 
			 Lambeth n/a n/a 771 805 
			 Lewisham n/a n/a 233 188 
			 Merton n/a n/a 320 396 
			 Newham n/a n/a 283 232 
			 Redbridge n/a' n/a 156 159 
			 Richmond upon Thames n/a n/a 562 540 
			 Southwark n/a n/a 742 725 
			 Sutton n/a n/a 243 183 
			 Tower Hamlets n/a n/a 712 698 
			 Waltham Forest n/a n/a 196 193 
			 Wandsworth n/a n/a 883 978 
			 Total 17,092 18,659 14,465 14,333 
			  
			 Total London(1) 17,350 18,909 14,668 14,667 
			 Total England 124,074 126,748 104,789 99,041 
			 n/a = not available. (1) Includes the City of London police and the Metropolitan police service.  Notes: 1. The coverage was extended and counting rules revised from 1998-99. Figures from that date are not directly comparable with those for 1997. 2. The data in this table is prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: recorded offences  of theft of a pedal cycle— 2002-03 to 2006-07 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Barking and Dagenham 120 170 215 220 174 
			 Barnet 218 374 341 398 247 
			 Bexley 116 139 144 133 115 
			 Brent 229 320 325 326 259 
			 Bromley 179 211 284 225 212 
			 Camden 1,347 1,491 1,337 1,521 1,329 
			 City of Westminster 1,165 1,226 1,347 1,453 1,277 
			 Croydon 240 262 294 325 264 
			 Ealing 467 617 571 584 448 
			 Enfield 186 195 214 226 179 
			 Greenwich 249 304 275 451 395 
			 Hackney 1,019 1,060 980 1,111 1,167 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 1,058 1,271 1,085 1,017 1,046 
			 Haringey 247 284 339 405 392 
			 Harrow 128 142 133 140 121 
			 Havering 143 198 181 178 130 
			 Hillingdon 264 275 251 367 247 
			 Hounslow 405 533 528 613 569 
			 Islington 1,140 1,898 1,745 1,821 1,682 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 834 858 877 919 758 
			 Kingston upon Thames 387 674 784 859 479 
			 Lambeth 785 943 952 1,196 1,022 
			 Lewisham 270 351 346 492 362 
			 Merton 360 507 503 530 320 
			 Newham 323 327 312 336 275 
			 Redbridge 122 168 141 203 168 
			 Richmond upon Thames 559 650 878 765 739 
			 Southwark 798 1,052 1,070 1,191 1,248 
			 Sutton 188 220 263 307 232 
			 Tower Hamlets 846 1,132 1,156 1,307 1,061 
			 Waltham Forest 176 180 227 271 366 
			 Wandsworth 1,237 1,226 1,217 1,346 1,357 
			 Total 15,805 19,258 19,315 21,236 18,640 
			   
			 Total London(1) 16,232 19,613 19,634 21,572 18,954 
			 Total England 91,589 98,961 98,860 105,778 102,485 
			 (1) includes the City of London police and the Metropolitan police service.  Note: The data in this table takes account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.

Tobacco: Young People

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) police cautions and  (b) fines were issued to (i) confectioners and tobacconists and (ii) other retailers selling tobacco products to those aged under 16 years in each year since 1997; what the average fine levied was in each year; and how many such offences were recorded in each year.

Tony McNulty: Information on the number of recorded offences of retailers selling tobacco products to those aged under 16 years is not collected centrally. This is a summary offence and is not included in the police recorded crime statistics.
	Statistics on the number of police cautions issued, the number of fines imposed and the average fines have been provided by the Ministry of Justice and are given in the table for 1997 to 2005. No information is collected centrally to distinguish between confectionists, tobacconists and other retailers. Data for 2006 is due for publication in late November.
	
		
			  Offenders( 1)  cautioned and fined for selling tobacco etc. to persons under 16( 2) 
			   Number of police cautions issued  Number of fines imposed  Average fine amount (£) 
			 1997 5 90 238 
			 1998 — 115 226 
			 1999 3 90 237 
			 2000 2 113 349 
			 2001 1 74 301 
			 2002 2 67 283 
			 2003 — 82 322 
			 2004 — 50 274 
			 2005 2 56 328 
			 (1) These data are on a principal offence basis. (2) Children and Young Persons Act 1933 section 7 as amended by the Children and Young Persons (Protection from Tobacco) Act 1991 section 1.  Note: These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system.  Source: RDS-NOMS, Ministry of Justice.

Azerbaijan: Politics and Government

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the ability of  (a) opposition politicians,  (b) the media,  (c) members of the judiciary and  (d) other representatives of civil society in Azerbaijan to be able to operate free from government interference or pressure; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: We have serious concerns on these issues and regularly raise them at all levels with the Government of Azerbaijan. The EU last reviewed progress on the EU European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plan for Azerbaijan with members of the Government of Azerbaijan on 18 October 2007. The EU underlined the importance of the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, as well as identifying further steps to strengthen democracy and media freedom.
	Despite some positive legislative reform, freedom of expression and freedom of the media has deteriorated significantly in the last two years. A number of journalists have been jailed under criminal libel laws that have restricted debate. Others have faced harassment and beatings. We have raised these issues and specific cases regularly with the authorities, most recently with the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
	The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and Council of Europe have identified a number of shortcomings in the judicial system. The Ministry of Justice has taken important steps to improve the training of judges, but there is still significant room for improvement.
	The political opposition faces impediments to its ability to operate freely. Together with international partners, we have stressed to the Government of Azerbaijan how important it is that the forthcoming Presidential elections are held in full compliance with the commitments undertaken to the EU, OSCE/Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and Council of Europe.

Azerbaijan: Prisoners

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the government of Azerbaijan on the prison conditions of  (a) Farhad Aliev and  (b) Rafig Aliev; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: As my right hon. Friend the then Minister for Europe (Mr. Hoon) stated in his reply to the hon. Member's question on this subject on 16 January 2007,  Official Report, column 991W, we reminded the Government of Azerbaijan of the need to respect the right of access to appropriate medical care, in light of concerns about Farhad Aliev's health. Through international bodies, including the EU and Council of Europe, we continue to raise our concerns about overall prison conditions with the Government of Azerbaijan. The authorities in Azerbaijan are working with international partners to make improvements to conditions and health care in their prisons. While improvements have been made, overall conditions remain a concern.

Belgium: Politics and Government

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the political situation in Belgium.

Jim Murphy: Negotiations to form a new government in Belgium continue, following elections earlier this year. We continue to work closely with the current Belgian Government and look forward to working with the new government when negotiations are complete.

British Overseas Territories: Nature Conservation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much the Government have allocated to the United Kingdom Overseas Territories Conservation Forum; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not provide funding for the administration of the United Kingdom Overseas Territories Conservation Fund. Through the Overseas Territories Environment Programme, a joint FCO and Department for International Development (DFID) funded programme, we have provided funds to the United Kingdom Overseas Territories Conservation Fund to carry out specific projects. The FCO provided £68,502 to the United Kingdom Overseas Territories Conservation Fund for project activities in 2006-07. DFID has provided £81,706 so far this financial year for project activities.

CIC Material

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reason material referring to the CIC, redacted from a copy of a covering letter sent by his Department to the hon. Member for Billericay on 19 July was described as sensitive.

Kim Howells: In assessing our response to the hon. Member's request that I "confirm that Lord Hutton was made aware of" John Williams's document, made in his letter to me of 18 June, we redacted the reference to material used by John Williams in his drafting because it was not relevant to the request and because we wished to protect the process that Williams used.
	However in considering our response to the hon. Member's subsequent request for the release of this information we concluded that the public interest in releasing this information outweighed that for withholding it.

Departmental Manpower

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  how many reports have been made to his Department's nominated officers under paragraph 16 of the revised civil service code since its publication on 6 June 2006;
	(2)  how many allegations of victimisation for whistleblowing have been reported to his Department by departmental staff since 6 June 2006;
	(3)  when his Department's whistleblowing procedures were reviewed to reflect the provisions in the revised civil service code.

Meg Munn: I refer the hon. Member to the reply my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office (Gillian Merron) gave to him on 19 November 2007,  Official Report , columns 596-97W.

Departmental Publicity

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much has been spent by his Department on advertising in the last 12 months.

Meg Munn: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not keep a central record of amounts spent on advertising. The information required to answer this question could be obtained only by requiring individual budget holders in the FCO to examine all invoices for the last 12 months. This would incur disproportionate cost.
	Expenditure on recruitment advertising makes up a large part of the Department's overall expenditure on advertising. For details of expenditure on recruitment advertising in 2006-07, and preceding financial years, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the then Minister for Europe (Mr. Hoon) to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 19 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1605W.

Departmental Recruitment

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people aged  (a) 30 to 39,  (b) 40 to 49,  (c) 50 to 59 and  (d) 60 to 69 years have (i) applied for jobs, (ii) received interviews and (iii) gained (A) temporary and (B) permanent jobs in his Department in 2007.

Jim Murphy: Recruitment in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is split into two specific areas—volume recruitment (jobs in generalist grades, such as administrative assistant, administrative officer and operational officer); specialist recruitment (jobs which require specific skills or expertise such as researchers, legal advisers, accountants). This area also includes temporary recruitment (short-term contracts for work on specific projects). Figures on those recruited into each area are provided as follows:
	
		
			  Volume recruitment 
			  Age band  Applied  Interviewed  Temporary Employment  Permanent Employment 
			  Al Administrative Assistants
			 30-39 386 52 0 24 
			 40-49 101 29 0 8 
			 50-59 86 16 0 6 
			 60-69 7 0 0 0 
			  
			  A2 Administrative Officers
			 30-39 262 21 0 10 
			 40-49 131 4 0 2 
			 50-59 29 2 0 0 
			 60-69 0 0 0 0 
			  
			  B3 Operational Officers
			 30-39 1,551 57 0 13 
			 40-49 655 6 0 5 
			 50-59 132 1 0 0 
			 60-69 12 0 0 0 
			  Note: Figures include applications/interviews from campaigns spanning 2006-07. 
		
	
	
		
			  Specialist Recruitment 
			  Age band  Interviewed  Temporary employment  Permanent employment 
			 30-39 29 1 2 
			 40-49 29 13 8 
			 50-59 17 0 3 
			 60-69 3 14 0 
			 70+ n/a 4 0 
			  Notes: 1. For specialist recruitment campaigns, data are currently only available from interview or assessment onwards. 2. For fixed term contracts of less than one year's duration, appointees are not required to go through a full application and interview process—this explains the figures in the 60-69 and 70+ groups. 
		
	
	
		
			  Fast stream 
			  Age band  Assessment centre  Interviewed  Permanent employment 
			 30-39 3 1 1 
			 40-49 0 0 0 
			 50-59 0 0 0 
			 60-69 0 0 0 
			 70+ 0 0 0 
			  Note:  Fast stream data only takes into consideration the stages of selection administered by the FCO. The Cabinet Office runs the selection processes prior to this, however statistics are not yet available for the 2007 cohort.

Departmental Written Questions

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether it is his Department's practice to attach to Written Answers hard copies of earlier replies cited in such Answers where these were previously given to hon. Members other than the hon. Member to whom the Answer is addressed.

Meg Munn: I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House of Commons (Ms Harman) gave to him today (UIN 168300).

France: Overseas Residence

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect on UK citizens living in France of the French Government's decision to alter the healthcare arrangements for non-French nationals below the official relevant age; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 22 November 2007
	 I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State, Department of Health (Dawn Primarolo) to the hon. Member for South-West Devon (Mr. Streeter) on 12 November 2007,  Official Report, column 59W.
	I raised this issue with the French Minister for Europe, Jean-Pierre Jouyet, during my visit to Paris on 15 November. Monsieur Jouyet acknowledged the serious concern about the effect of this decision and agreed to ask his colleagues to look again at the matter.
	Our embassy in Paris will also continue to follow the issue closely. It has posted information on its website for those who could be affected.

Iran: Politics and Government

John MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the political situation in Iran.

Kim Howells: The political establishment in Iran is preparing for the next Majlis (parliamentary) elections on 14 March 2008. Candidates will need to register by early January, and they will be vetted by the Guardian Council (who can veto candidates it considers contrary to the interests of the Islamic Republic) six to seven weeks before the election date. In the last round of parliamentary elections, the Guardian Council vetoed the candidacies of more than a third of the 8,000 candidates, most of whom were reformists, and 85 of who were incumbent MPs. We are concerned that this may happen again—the Guardian Council has appointed hardliners to the election monitoring panel and reformists appear to be being discouraged from standing.
	A key issue in the election is likely to be the economy, especially inflation, where estimates range from the official Iranian figures of around 12 per cent. to independent Iranian estimates of almost twice that. Within this, housing, foodstuffs and medicines have all been subject to above average price growth, making life harder for ordinary Iranians. Iran's increased isolation, and the possibility of further multilateral sanctions as a result of Iran's refusal to abide by its obligations on its nuclear programme, are also having an impact on international investment in and trade with Iran.
	We are concerned by the continued clampdown on internal opposition, which has been going on for several months but appears to be intensifying in the run up to the election campaign—including, most recently, the arrests of three women affiliated with the Campaign For Equality, which is seeking to end legislation which discriminates against women. This is taking place against the backdrop of a wider deterioration in the human rights environment, including an increase in executions (close to 250 executions this year, compared to 177 for the whole of 2006), including multiple executions (eight reported cases of multiple executions since 22 July this year) and the execution of juveniles (three confirmed cases this year).

Lebanon: Overseas Aid

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had with the Lebanese Government on emergency aid and reconstruction relief to those displaced by fighting in the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp.

Shahid Malik: I have been asked to reply.
	The UK Government engages with the Lebanese Government through the British embassy in Beirut. The embassy has regular discussions with the Lebanese Palestinian dialogue Committee, in the Prime Minister's Office, which is responsible for co-ordinating relief efforts and also with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestinian Refugees, which oversee reconstruction relief. Her majesty's ambassador to Lebanon visited Nah al-Bared camp on 6 November 2007.
	DFID does not have a bilateral programme or presence in Lebanon. This is consistent with the UK's policy to increasingly support middle income countries through multinational organisations such as the World Bank and the European commission. However, DFID is providing UNRWA with long term financial support (£100 million) up to 2011 to help them address problems facing Palestinian communities in Lebanon and elsewhere. We are also providing almost £1 million to the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) for the clearance of unexploded ordnance in Lebanon.

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what preparations have been made for the Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference talks in 2010, what role he expects the European Union will play in these talks; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The United Kingdom strongly supports the European Union's Common Position of strengthening the three key pillars—non-proliferation, disarmament and peaceful use of nuclear technology—of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT). EU member states played an important role in the positive outcome to this year's NPT Preparatory Committee. We will continue to work closely with European Union partners to achieve success in the new non-proliferation treaty (NPT) review cycle.

Pakistan: Politics and Government

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what conclusions were reached at the 12 November Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group on the situation in  (a) Pakistan and  (b) Zimbabwe; and what action was agreed in each case.

David Miliband: The Commonwealth Secretariat issued a statement following the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) meeting on 12 November. The full text is available at:
	http://www.thecommonwealth.org:/press/31555/172244/121107cmag.htm
	My noble Friend the Minister Africa, Asia and the UN, the right hon. Lord Malloch-Brown, represented the UK at the meeting.
	Zimbabwe is no longer in the Commonwealth, and was therefore not discussed.

Pakistan: Terrorism

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of UK financial assistance to Pakistan is for counter-terrorism purposes; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Mr. Moore) on 20 November 2007,  Official Report, columns 743-44W and the reply my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development gave to the hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Mr. Moore) on 19 November 2007,  Official Report, columns 533-34W. The total planned expenditure on UK co-operation with Pakistan in 2007-08 is £111.7 million of which £2.3 million (2 per cent.) is for counter terrorism programmes funded through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Global Opportunities Fund.

Somalia: Politics and Government

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had on the situation in Somalia; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: The Government monitor the situation in Somalia very closely and raises issues with international interlocutors on a regular basis. Most recently my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and my noble Friend the Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, the right hon. Lord Malloch-Brown, discussed Somalia with the Ethiopian Foreign Minister during their meeting on 13 November 2007.
	The Government are very concerned by the current situation in Somalia. We are working hard with our international partners, through the EU, the UN and the International Contact Group, to help Somalia address its very difficult circumstances. The three strands of our policy cover political, security and humanitarian issues. By pursuing each of these areas in parallel, we hope to help Somalia leave violent conflict behind and develop, in time, to its full potential.

Sudan: Frontiers

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Sudan on its rejection of the findings of the Abyei Boundary Commission report.

Jim Murphy: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not raised the Abyei Boundary Commission report with the Government of Sudan. However, the Abyei boundary dispute is a key issue for continued progress on implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). My right hon. Friends the Foreign Secretary and the Secretary of State for International Development and my noble Friend the Minister of State for Africa, Asia and the UN, the right hon. Lord Malloch-Brown, have all raised CPA implementation including Abyei, in their contacts with the Government of Sudan.

Sudan: Peacekeeping Operations

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which countries have pledged troops to the UNAMIS peacekeeping operation in Darfur; and how many troops each has pledged.

David Miliband: The African Union (AU)-UN hybrid peacekeeping force in Darfur (UNAMID), mandated by UN Security Council Resolution 1769 of 31 July 2007, will consist of approximately 19,500 troops and a 6,500-strong civilian police component. The UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) has the task of generating the force in consultation with the AU. This particular force generation is complex and requires multilateral negotiations with potential contributing countries. The UN Secretary-General, in his report on UNAMID deployment of 5 November 2007, noted that the DPKO has received contributions from a number of countries to cover most of the military capabilities required for UNAMID, but critical shortfalls on helicopters and ground transport remain. The DPKO is now conducting pre-deployment assessments before confirming final troop contributions. We are pressing the DPKO, the AU and the Government of Sudan for the prompt and effective deployment of the UNAMID force.

Syria: Sanctions

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his assessment is of the implementation of European Union sanctions on Syria, with particular reference to the UK's compliance; what the total amount of assets frozen is by  (a) EU member states and  (b) the United Kingdom in line with these sanctions; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The UK is firmly committed to the fall implementation of all EU sanctions, along with our EU partners.
	There are no EU financial sanctions imposed on Syria. EU Common Position 2005/888/Common Foreign and Security Policy, inter alia, places an asset freeze on those suspected of involvement in the murder of the former Prime Minister of Lebanon, Rafiq Hariri. This Common Position implements UN Sanctions and to date no individuals have been targeted for the assets freeze by the UN. Consequently the UK has not frozen any assets.

Uganda: Human Rights

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the threat by Uganda State House militia Commander Major Kakooza Mutale to kill anyone who opposes President Museveni; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: I have received no reports of threats by any member of the Uganda State House militia against opponents of President Museveni. Our high commission in Kampala closely monitors the internal political situation in Uganda and regularly presses the Ugandan Government to respect the rights of the opposition.
	Ministers have also raised governance issues with the Ugandan Government, notably during Foreign Minister Kutesa's visit to the UK in September.

Western Sahara: Asylum

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government plans to take in response to the human rights situation of Western Sahwri refugees in the Tindouf camps and the actions of the Moroccan government.

Kim Howells: The UK is concerned about the welfare of the people of Western Sahara. We have set out our concerns about human rights and the humanitarian situation in the region in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's 2006 Annual Human Rights Report, which is available at:
	www.fco.gov.uk.
	We have raised human rights issues with Morocco. We continue to support ongoing confidence building measures for the region, such as establishing a regular telephone and mail service between Tindouf and the territory, and family visits between the territory and the camps.
	The UK remains concerned that the issue of the status of Western Sahara remains unresolved, with consequent problems for the people of the region. The UN Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 1783 on 31 October, which renewed the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara until 30 April 2008. The resolution also calls upon the parties to continue negotiations under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General without preconditions and in good faith. The UK fully supports these negotiations, with a view to achieving a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.

Western Sahara: Asylum

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to support a census to establish the number of Western Sahawri refugees.

Kim Howells: It remains part of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara's (MINURSO) mandate to identify and register qualified voters to take part in any referendum. The UK is concerned that the issue of the status of Western Sahara remains unresolved, with consequent problems for the people of the region. The UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1783 on 31 October, which renewed the mandate of MINURSO until 30 April 2008.
	The resolution also calls upon the parties to continue negotiations under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General without preconditions and in good faith. It is the UK's policy to fully support these negotiations, and the work of the Secretary-General and his Special Envoy, Peter van Walsum, with a view to achieving a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.
	The UK has provided over £200,000 to the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Organisation to provide food aid to Western Saharan refugees currently living in refugee camps.

Zimbabwe: Overseas Aid

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what options he is considering for assistance to Zimbabwe in the event of a change of Government in that country.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 22 November 2007
	 My right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister has said that Britain will contribute its share to supporting recovery in Zimbabwe but only when significant policy and administrative reforms are implemented within Zimbabwe. We are working with key partners in the international donor community and multilateral institutions to develop a co-ordinated approach to that assistance. Our focus would include support for stabilising the economy and moving towards sustainable recovery.

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the evidential basis was for the statement made by the Minister for Public Health to the Science and Technology Committee on 24 October that the Abortion Act 1967 did not require further amendment at the present time; whom she consulted before making this statement; what recent representations he has received on this statement from  (a) hon. Members,  (b) members of the House of Lords and  (c) members of the public; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Departmental officials working in this area constantly review scientific evidence which might affect the science that underpins the Abortion Act 1967, as amended. As part of this ongoing work officials reviewed all of the evidence submitted to the Science and Technology Committee inquiry into scientific developments relating to the Abortion Act 1967 and agreed with the consensus of opinion which was that there was no new scientific evidence that warranted a change to the Act.
	The Royal Colleges and Professional Bodies, including the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the British Medical Association, which the Department and the Government look to for advice submitted evidence to the committee outlining their views therefore no wider consultation was necessary.
	Since the 24 October we have received one representation in the form of an oral parliamentary question from hon. Members; no direct representations from the House of Lords and 84 letters on abortion issues in general from members of the public.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many alcohol-attributable hospital admissions there were  (a) in each London borough and  (b) in the Greater London area (i) in each of the last four financial years and (ii) in 2007-08;
	(2)  how many alcohol-attributable  (a) routine hospital admissions and  (b) accident and emergency admissions there were (i) in each London borough and (ii) in the Greater London area in (A) each of the last four financial years and (B) 2007-08.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested has been placed in the Library. Data for 2007-08 is not yet available.

Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust: Finance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the financial position of Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust is.

Ben Bradshaw: Barking Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust is forecasting a year end deficit of £14.3 million at quarter 1 2007-08.
	As a result of the Department introducing the new loans system in 2006-07, there are 17 national health service trusts, where the financial challenges are such that the Department either could not give a loan because the trusts could not afford to meet the repayments, or where a loan was agreed, but the amount is very large and could only be repaid over a very extended time scale.
	Departmental officials have worked in partnership with strategic health authorities (SHAs) on a review process to identify long term solutions for the 17 NHS trusts, Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust being one of them. The results of this recently completed review process are now being discussed with the SHAs and solutions are being prepared in the context of the Operating Framework for 2008-09.

Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust: Public Appointments

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in appointing a chief executive for Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust.

Ben Bradshaw: John Goulston has been acting as Interim Chief Executive of Barking, Havering and Redbridge hospitals national health service trust since 15 October 2007. We are informed that his six month contract contains the option to extend his stay to nine months, and that the Chief Executive post will be advertised within this time period.

Chlamydia: Screening

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration his Department has given to the merits of developing a tariff for chlamydia screening in the system of payment by results, as recommended on page three of the Health Protection Agency's Annual Report of the National Chlamydia Screening Programme for 2006-07.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department of Health consulted on how the payment by results system impacts on access to sexual health services as part of the Options for the Future of Payment by Results: 2008-09—2010-11 consultation document published on 15 March 2007.
	There were a number of responses from stakeholders with an interest in sexual health and we will be considering their views in establishing our development priorities for sexual health payment by results. We will also take into account newly emerging recommendations such as that by the Health Protection Agency.

Cocoa: Labelling

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to regulate labelling to identify the country of origin on products containing cocoa.

Dawn Primarolo: Origin labelling rules are harmonised at European Union level and, while the European Commission is currently reviewing legislation in this area, neither the Commission nor the United Kingdom, has plans to introduce mandatory origin labelling for products containing cocoa.
	Meanwhile, there is nothing to stop manufacturers from declaring this on a voluntary basis—provided it is accurate and not misleading.

Departmental Manpower

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many reports have been made to his Department's nominated officers under paragraph 16 of the revised Civil Service Code since its publication on 6 June 2006;
	(2)  how many allegations of victimisation for whistleblowing have been reported to his Department by departmental staff since 6 June 2006;
	(3)  when his Department's whistleblowing procedures were reviewed to reflect the provisions in the revised Civil Service Code.

Ben Bradshaw: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Gillian Merron) on 19 November 2007,  Official Report, column 596W.

Eastbourne Hospital: Hip Replacements

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hip replacement operations were performed on patients over 65 at the Eastbourne district general hospital in each year since 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is not available in the format requested. However, the information in the table shows data for the years 2002-03 to 2005-06 for East Sussex hospital NHS trust, which Eastbourne district general hospital is a part of. Data prior to 2002-03 is not available in readily accessible form.
	
		
			  Count of finished consultant episodes with a hip replacement operation performed on patients aged 65 years and over at East Sussex hospital national health service trust 2002-03 to 2005-06 
			  NHS hospitals England 
			   Finished consultant episodes 
			 2005-06 940 
			 2004-05 803 
			 2003-04 846 
			 2002-03 786 
			  Notes: 1. Codes used for hip replacement operations were: total prosthetic replacement of hip joint (W37—W39) and prosthetic replacement of head of femur (W46—W48). 2. Finished consultant episode (FCE) An FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year. 3. Ungrossed data Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed). 4. Finished consultant episode (FCE) with an operation A count of FCEs with an operation is the number of finished consultant episodes where the procedures were mentioned in any of the 12 (four prior to 2002-03) operative procedure fields in a HES record. A record is only included once in each count, even if a procedure is mentioned in more than one operative procedure field of the record. Please note that more procedures are carried out than finished consultant episodes with an operation. For example, patients undergoing a cataract operation would tend to have at least two procedures—removal of the faulty lens and the fitting of a new one—counted in a single finished consultant episode.  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The Information Centre for Health and Social Care

General Practitioners: Older Workers

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many practising general practitioners are over  (a) 80,  (b) 75,  (c) 70 and  (d) 65 years of age; and what percentage of practising general practitioners each figure represents.

Ben Bradshaw: This information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  General practitioners (GPs) by age band as at September 2006 
			   Headcount  Percentage 
			 All GPs (excluding retainers and registrars) 33,091 100.0 
			  of which:   
			 Over 80 7 0.0 
			 Over 75 23 0.1 
			 Over 70 143 0.4 
			 Over 65 738 2.2 
			  Note: General Medical Practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars) includes GP Providers and GP Others.  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care General and Personal Medical Services Statistics

Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust: Manpower

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the  (a) required and  (b) actual number of paramedics is in the Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department does not set specific requirements for numbers of paramedics. Work force planning is a matter for individual trusts to undertake, working with their commissioners and strategic health authorities. Plans need to be, and are, regularly reviewed as circumstances change.
	Data are available for ambulance staff breakdown, as at September 2006, through the Information Centre for health and social care 2006 Non-Medical Workforce Census. There were 375 ambulance paramedics up until 30 September 2006, when the last workforce census was taken.

Health Services: Equality

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to improve the compliance of primary care trusts with the public sector gender duties; and what support the Government will provide to NHS organisations to help them reduce gender inequalities in health outcomes.

Ivan Lewis: The Department is committed to tackling gender inequalities within the health and social care sector by recognising the specific health needs of men and women. There has been increased awareness amongst healthcare professionals of the correlation between gender and health and its impact on access, quality of health care and medical treatment for men and women. The Department's commitment to create a patient-centred service which extends choice and is responsive to all patients and users, especially with regards to the gender perspective will ensure that any gender differences in treatment and access are eliminated.
	The Department commissioned the Men's Health Forum to work with five primary care trusts (PCTs) to develop a tool to assist PCTs in providing gender sensitive services. PCTs will be able to identify where changes can be made and how to approach the implementation of the gender duty. The results of this project—the "Gender Equity Audit" report was launched on 6 November 2006 at the Men's Health Forum Conference—Putting Gender on the NHS Agenda: Implementing the Gender Equality Duty in the NHS.
	Research is currently being undertaken by the Department, on the different way men and women access health services and what difference this has on health outcomes. It is intended that the outcomes of this research will provide the evidence base to identify actions to take in tackling gender health inequalities. The research will target a range of national health service organisations, including PCTs, and will take account of overlapping inequality issues such as age, ethnicity, sexual orientation.
	The Department has produced and disseminated guidance for the NHS by developing "Creating a Gender Equality Scheme: A practical guide for the NHS" and "10 Steps to Developing Your Single Equality Schemes" web guidance. A series of regional and national events recently disseminated guidance on developing Single Equality Schemes that incorporate the requirements of the gender equality duty. A further series of local events are currently under consideration.
	The Department's Equality and Human Rights Group has established the Gender Equality Advisory Group to bring together key stakeholders in developing and prioritising gender actions which will inform the prioritisation of departmental policy and initiatives to provide ongoing support for the NHS.

Health Services: Newcastle upon Tyne

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what projections for the population of the City of Newcastle in 2006-07 and 2007-08 were used in allocating resources for health services; how those projections were calculated; and what methodology will be used to project the population of the city for 2008-09.

Ben Bradshaw: The 2006-07 and 2007-08 revenue allocations to primary care trusts (PCTs) used 2003 based Office for National Statistics (ONS) sub-national population projections for 2006 and 2007 respectively, adjusted for cross boundary flows of patients between PCTs using 2004 general practitioner practice lists. A detailed explanation of the methodology is contained in "Resource Allocation: Weighted Capitation Formula (Fifth Edition)" which is available in the Library and also at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Policyandguidance/Organisationpolicy/Financeandplanning/Allocations/DH_76396.
	The population projections used for allocations to Newcastle PCT are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Allocation year  Population 
			 2006-07 258,859 
			 2007-08 258,398 
		
	
	A one-year PCT revenue allocation has been announced for 2008-09. The funding formula will be frozen 2008-09, this means that no data or formula changes, including population, will be implemented for that year. All PCTs will receive a flat-rate increase on their 2007-08 revenue allocation.

Hospital Beds: Intensive Care

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) high dependency and  (b) intensive care beds there were in each Government region in each year since 1995; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Information on the number of high dependency beds was not collected before March 1999.
	The bi-annual adult critical care provision census collects the number of high dependency and adult intensive care beds started in March 1999 with the latest census in July 2007. Tables have been placed in the Library which give the number of critical care beds broken down by the relevant national health service regional structure.
	The KH03 collects the total number of beds days for all types of intensive care beds,(including paediatric and neonatal) this data is available back to 1995. This has also been provided.

Influenza: Chelmsford

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the level of take up of influenza vaccine by pensioners over 65 years old in West Chelmsford constituency in each year since 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: Flu vaccine uptake data was collected for the first time on those aged 65 and over from 2000-01. Data are collected by primary care trust (PCT) and strategic health authority. Data are not collected by constituency. Due to geographical changes West Chelmsford fell within North Essex PCT, Essex Health Authority (HA), and Chelmsford PCT between 2000-01 to 2006-07.
	The percentage uptake of those aged 65 and over who received a flu vaccine in North Essex in 2000-01 and 2001-02, Essex HA in 2002-03, Chelmsford PCT 2003-04 to 2005-06 and North Essex in 2006-07 is available in the Library.

Influenza: Vaccination

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to point (9) in his letter to the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire of 2 October 2007, reference PO00000234668, whether any foreign governments have arranged to purchase vaccine for use in the event of an influenza pandemic from manufacturers in the UK.

Dawn Primarolo: We do not have any information on this as it is a commercial decision between United Kingdom manufacturers and foreign governments.

Influenza: Vaccination

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate has been made of the take-up of influenza vaccinations by pensioners over 65 years old in  (a) Ribble Valley,  (b) Lancashire and  (c) England in each year since 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: Data is not collected by constituency. For data which is available, I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 29 October 2007,  Official Report, column 1035W.
	Data is not available by county.
	Influenza vaccine uptake data for those over 65 years of age was collected for the first time from 2000. The uptake of influenza vaccination in those over 65 years of age in England from 2000 is shown in the following table;
	
		
			   Uptake in those aged 65 years and over (%) 
			 2000-01 65.3 
			 2001-02 67.7 
			 2002-03 68.5 
			 2003-04 71.0 
			 2004-05 71.5 
			 2005-06 75.3 
			 2006-07 74.0

Intensive Care

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many intensive care beds were available on average in each year since 1997; and what the average occupancy rates were.

Ben Bradshaw: The requested information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Average daily available, occupied, and occupancy rate of intensive care beds for England between1996-97 and 2006-07 
			  Year  Ward type  Intensive care beds available  Intensive care beds occupied  Occupancy rate (occupied/ available x100 per cent.) of intensive care beds 
			 1996-97 Neonates 1,524 1,075 70.54 
			  Paediatric 233 174 74.68 
			  Wholly or mainly adult 2,428 1,747 71.95 
			  Total (neonates + paediatric + adult) 4,185 2,996 71.59 
			  
			 1997-98 Neonates 1,530 1,052 68.76 
			  Paediatric 265 201 75.85 
			  Wholly or mainly adult 2,417 1,727 71.45 
			  Total (neonates + paediatric + adult) 4,212 2,980 70.75 
			  
			 1998-99 Neonates 1,525 1,079 70.75 
			  Paediatric 273 194 71.06 
			  Wholly or mainly adult 2,438 1,829 75.02 
			  Total (neonates + paediatric + adult) 4,236 3,102 73.23 
			  
			 1999-2000 Neonates 1,534 1,101 71.77 
			  Paediatric 282 195 69.15 
			  Wholly or mainly adult 2,531 1,934 76.41 
			  Total (neonates + paediatric + adult) 4,347 3,230 74.30 
			  
			 2000-01 Neonates 1,517 1,092 71.98 
			  Paediatric 290 208 71.72 
			  Wholly or mainly adult 2,700 2,083 77.15 
			  Total (neonates + paediatric + adult) 4,507 3,383 75.06 
			  
			 2001-02 Neonates 1,543 1,088 70.51 
			  Paediatric 303 205 67.66 
			  Wholly or mainly adult 3,093 2,393 77.37 
			  Total (neonates + paediatric + adult) 4,939 3,686 74.63 
			  
			 2002-03 Neonates 1,551 1,081 69.70 
			  Paediatric 254 165 64.96 
			  Wholly or mainly adult 3,216 2,511 78.08 
			  Total (neonates + paediatric + adult) 5,021 3,757 74.83 
			  
			 2003-04 Neonates 1,491 1,084 72.70 
			  Paediatric 239 164 68.62 
			  Wholly or mainly adult 3,283 2,635 80.26 
			  Total (neonates + paediatric + adult) 5,013 3,883 77.46 
			  
			 2004-05 Neonates 1,523 1,120 73.54 
			  Paediatric 283 201 71.02 
			  Wholly or mainly adult 3,417 2,763 80.86 
			  Total (neonates + paediatric + adult) 5,223 4,084 78.19 
			  
			 2005-06 Neonates 1,688 1,196 70.85 
			  Paediatric 321 236 73.52 
			  Wholly or mainly adult 3,454 2,734 79.15 
			  Total (neonates + paediatric + adult) 5,463 4,166 76.26 
			  
			 2006-07 Neonates 1,658 1,233 74.37 
			  Paediatric 335 246 73.43 
			  Wholly or mainly adult 3,622 2,918 80.56 
			  Total (neonates + paediatric + adult) 5,615 4,397 78.31 
			  Source: Department of health form kh03

Medical Treatments: Procurement

Dai Havard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what statutory obligations there are upon the Centre of Evidence-based Purchasing to consider the outcomes of product assessments by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in its evaluations of medical devices.

Ben Bradshaw: There are no statutory obligations upon the Centre of Evidence-based Purchasing (CEP) to consider the outcomes of product assessments by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in its evaluations of medical devices.
	However, the Centre of Evidence-based Purchasing works closely with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to ensure that respective work-programmes complement one another and build on each others efforts. For example, if NICE issues some clinical guidelines around a particular disease or technology, CEP can support that guidance by doing a piece of work on the specific products that support that guideline, perhaps by reviewing the market, or providing the national health service with comparative specifications to compare the products that are available.

Milton Keynes Hospital: Maternity Services

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to assist Milton Keynes hospital in meeting the Government aspiration of a one-to-one midwife per birth ratio in its delivery suite.

Ivan Lewis: Local national health service trusts are responsible for the provision of maternity services. This year NHS organisations, including Milton Keynes Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, have been required to review maternity services, including an assessment of their workforce capacity. A range of mechanisms are in place to support local recruitment of midwives if needs are identified, for example to enable midwives who are not practising to return to work maternity services.

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what occasions his Department has agreed to a delay in implementing a National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence technology appraisal.

Dawn Primarolo: Directions that came into force on 1 January 2002 require primary care trusts and national health service trusts to make funds available to ensure that a health care intervention recommended by National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is normally available to NHS patients within three months of NICE issuing new technology appraisal guidance. There have been 12 appraisals for which the funding direction has been waived or amended. Details are given in the following table.
	
		
			  NICE appraisal title  Guidance publication date  Period of waiver 
			 Weight reduction for people with morbid obesity July 2002 Complete waiver 
			 Haemodialysis—home versus hospital September 2002 Complete waiver 
			 Ultrasound locating devices for placing central venous catheters September 2002 12 months 
			 Diabetes—Insulin pump therapy February 2003 12 months 
			 Diabetes—Patient education models April 2003 Complete waiver 
			 Photodynamic therapy for age-related macular degeneration September 2003 9 months 
			 Liquid-based cytology for cervical screening October 2003 Complete waiver 
			 Myocardial Perfusion Scintigraphy for the diagnosis and management of angina and myocardial infarction November 2003 Complete waiver 
			 Laparoscopic surgery for Inguinal Hernia September 2004 Complete waiver 
			 Computerised Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Anxiety and Depression February 2006 12 months 
			 Parent-training/education programmes in the management of children with conduct disorders July 2006 24 months 
			 Laparoscopic surgery for the treatment of colorectal cancer August 2006 Complete waiver

NHS Treatment Centres: Private Sector

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to open new private sector diagnostic and treatment centres for NHS patients; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: As part of the Phase 2 Independent Sector (IS) Procurement Programme, the Secretary of State (Alan Johnson) has announced that approvals are in place for two new PET-CT schemes which will provide scanning services in the North and South of England, and for a new renal scheme which will provide dialysis services in Cheshire and Merseyside, Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire to proceed to financial close. Seven other Phase 2 IS schemes will also proceed through the procurement process. These services will be run by the IS but funded by the national health service, and free to NHS patients.

NHS: Billing

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether suppliers using the NHS Shared Business Service are required to use the OB10 invoicing system; how many suppliers the NHS Shared Business Service deals with; and what the impact on costs to  (a) his Department and  (b) Xansa are from OB10 being used.

Ben Bradshaw: NHS Shared Business Services (SBS) Ltd is running a trial programme to establish the take up rate for electronic invoicing and OB10 is their preferred supplier. Neither client trusts nor suppliers are required to use the OB10 e-invoicing system and enrolment is entirely at the discretion of suppliers.
	At present, NHS SBS has over 90,000 suppliers registered on its system.
	No record of cost is being kept. NHS SBS is a 50/50 joint venture with Xansa Ltd. The Department's share of any profits made by NHS SBS will be passed on to its national health service customer base. If costs of NHS SBS reduce as a consequence of using OB10, the NHS's share of these will be fed back to its customers by way of additional profit distribution.

NHS: Billing

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS Shared Business Service costs  (a) his Department and  (b) Xansa to run.

Ben Bradshaw: In the last accounting year, NHS Shared Business Services made an operating loss after tax and interest of £13.268 million. This loss is born equally by the two stakeholders.

NHS: Billing

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS  (a) trusts and  (b) other organisations are implementing the OB10 invoicing system; what guidance his Department has given on the OB10 system; what assessment he has made of the effect on the price the NHS organisations pay for services and goods of the OB10 system; what estimate he has made of the net financial effect on the NHS of the OB10 invoicing system; and whether (i) the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency, (ii) NHS Supply Chain and (iii) Collaborative Procurement Hubs (A) are using and (B) plan to use the OB10 system.

Ben Bradshaw: It is up to individual national health service trusts and organisations to decide on whether e-invoicing is appropriate for their organisation and, if appropriate, the preferred supplier. Records are not held centrally on the number of NHS customers of OB10 or any other e-invoicing system.
	No guidance on the use of OB10, or any other e-invoicing system, has been issued by the Department.
	Use of e-invoicing systems such as OB10 has a number of benefits that should produce savings for all users. Costs are saved in the NHS trust because invoices do not have to be opened, scanned and distributed, and matching them to the order is simplified. There is greater accuracy and certainty for both supplier and the trust and suppliers benefit from speedier payment, in line with the Government's prompt payment policy.
	No estimate has been made of the net financial impact on the NHS of the use of OB10.
	The NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency do promote the use of OB10 among its suppliers, but do not mandate its use. NHS Supply Chain do not use OB10 are they already have their own integrated e-ordering and e-invoicing system.
	No records are kept centrally regarding the e-invoicing policy of each NHS Collaborative Procurement Hub.

NHS: Loans

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total annual interest payable on the £777,881 in loans issued to NHS trusts on 22 March 2007 will be.

Ben Bradshaw: The total interest payable in 2007-08 on the £777.881 million of loans issued to national health service trusts on 22 March 2007 is £38.705 million. The interest payable each year is calculated on the outstanding value of loan principal, and therefore reduces in future years as loan principal is repaid.

NHS: Procurement

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what contingency plans there are for national emergencies within the contract for supply chain logistics due to be managed by the Supply Chain Management Division of the NHS Business Service Authority; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: There are no special arrangements in the NHS Supply Chain contract for contingency plans in the event of a national emergency. However, if required the NHS Supply Chain, under the direction of the NHS Business Services Authority, will re-prioritise demand to ensure that emergency deliveries can be made on request and that in these circumstances delivery is to be made to the national health service within four hours of an order being placed.

Nurses: Merton

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many practice nurses there were in  (a) Wimbledon constituency and  (b) the London borough of Merton in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2007.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is only available by primary care trust (PCT) area, and figures for 2007 are not yet available. Also, Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth Primary Care Trust was the organisation in existence in 1997 covering the London borough of Merton.
	The following table details the number of practice nurses for Sutton and Merton PCT in 2006, and for Merton, Sutton and Wimbledon PCT in 1997.
	
		
			  Practice nurses by selected areas, as at 1 October 1997 and 30 September 2006 
			  Numbers (headcount) 
			1997  2006 
			 5M7 Sutton & Merton PCT (1)— 136 
			 5LG Wandsworth PCT (1)— 119 
			 QAJ Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth 244 (1)— 
			 (1 )Denotes data not available.  Note: Data presented for organisations in existence in the specified years,  Source:  The Information Centre for health and social care General and Personal Medical Services Statistics.

Patients: Transport

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on the Hospital Travel Costs scheme in each year since 1997-98 for which figures are available; and how many patients received grants under the scheme in each year.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department does not collect information on the cost of the Hospital Travel Costs Scheme, nor how many patients have claimed a reimbursement under the scheme. It is for primary care trusts, as local commissioners of healthcare services, to make provisions so that patients with either a financial or a medical need for transport can travel to and from their treatment or care.

Pharmacy

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether he plans to give the NHS Business Services Authority the  (a) power and  (b) additional resources to monitor the number of claim payments for medicines use reviews by each contractor;
	(2)  how many pharmacies exceeded the limit on claim payments for medicines use reviews in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006;
	(3)  by how much pharmacy contractors exceeded the limit on claim payments for medicines use reviews in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 20 November 2007
	 It is for primary care trusts to monitor medicines use review service provision by community pharmacies and adjust individual community pharmacy remuneration according to that service provision. Therefore there are no plans to change the role of the Prescription Pricing Division (PPD) of the Business Services Authority.
	During the financial year April 2005 to March 2006, 25 pharmacies exceeded the limit of 250 on payments for medicines use reviews (MURs). In the financial year April 2006 to March 2007, 126 pharmacies exceeded the limit of 400. These figures do not take account of the pharmacies to whom the lower limit of 200 applied because they started providing the service mid year. In 2005-06 and 2006-07, the average number of MURs per pharmacy was 39 and 96 respectively.
	In the financial year 2005-06, excess payments to those pharmacies who exceeded the limit was £42,218 (1,966 claims) and in the year 2006-07, the excess payment was £67,650 (2,706 claims). These figures do not reflect any recovery of excess payments made by primary care trusts (PCTs) nor does it take account of the pharmacies to whom the lower limit of 200 applied because they started providing the service mid year. This is a matter for PCTs as they can locally commission and fund additional MURs above the national threshold.

Sutton and Merton Primary Care Trust: Manpower

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many non-clinical staff are employed by Sutton Merton Primary Care Trust; and how many were employed in  (a) 1997,  (b) 2001 and  (c) 2005.

Ben Bradshaw: This information is not collected in the format requested. Sutton and Merton Primary Care Trust (PCT) was formed in 2002, and so figures for 1997 and 2001 are unavailable. Also, figures for 2007 are not yet available.
	The following table shows figures for non-clinical staff employed by Sutton and Merton PCT from 2002 to 2006.
	
		
			  National Health Service Hospital and community health services: NHS staff in the Sutton Merton Primary Care Trust by each specified staff group as at 30 September each specified year 
			  Headcount 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Total specified staff 1,276 1,230 1,629 1,894 1,505 
			   
			  Support to clinical staff 528 534 784 809 689 
			 Support to doctors and nursing staff 501 492 732 753 617 
			 Support to scientific therapeutic and technical staff 27 42 52 56 72 
			   
			  NHS infrastructure support 285 233 247 270 214 
			 Central functions 179 135 155 164 139 
			 Hotel, property and estates 7 10 12 11 8 
			 Managers and senior managers 99 88 80 95 67 
			   
			 GP practice staff 463 463 598 815 602 
			  Notes:  1. More accurate validation processes in 2006 have resulted in the identification and removal of 9,858 duplicate non-medical staff records out of the total workforce figure of 1.3 million in 2006. Earlier years' figures could not be accurately validated in this way and so will be slightly inflated. The level of inflation in earlier years' figures is estimated to be less than 1 per cent. of total across all non-medical staff groups for headcount figures (and negligible for full-time equivalents). This should be taken into consideration when analysing trends over time.  2. General practitioner (GP) practice staff (excluding practice nurses) includes direct patient care, administrative and clerical and other staff paid by GP practices, which are contracted by the PCT.  3. Sutton Merton PCT was formed in 2002.  Sources:  The Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census  The Information Centre for health and social care general and personal medical services Statistics.

Thrombosis: Medical Treatments

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to assess therapies for venous thromboembolism which are being developed.

Dawn Primarolo: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is developing a clinical guideline on the prevention of venous thromboembolism in all hospital patients. NICE expects to publish this guidance in 2009.
	In June 2007, the Secretary of State (Alan Johnson) made a 'minded' technology appraisal referral to NICE of the drug dabigatran etexilate for the prevention of venous thromboembolism following elective hip or knee replacement surgery in adults. NICE has undertaken a consultation on the remit and scope of this appraisal and a final decision on its referral to NICE will be taken shortly.

Tobacco

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding his Department has provided towards national tobacco strategies in each of the last five years.  [Official Report, 25 January 2008; Vol. 470, c. 18MC.]

Dawn Primarolo: The Department has provided the following funding to support the Government's national tobacco strategies set out as follows:
	The following table shows advertising expenditure on the dangers of smoking from 2003-04 to date.
	
		
			  Expenditure on education campaigns financial year  Tobacco control (£ million) 
			 2003-04 17.76 
			 2004-05 25.00 
			 2005-06 23.00 
			 2006-07 13.50 
			 2007-08 11.39 
		
	
	The Department awarded a grant of £2,670,000 to Cancer Research UK (CRUK) under section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968 to fund the charity's Light and Mild campaign in 2003-04. A further of £300,000 grant was made in 2006-07 for CRUK's media campaign on the harmful constituents of secondhand smoke.
	The Department awarded a grant of £5,000,000 to British Heart Foundation (BHF) under section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968 to fund the charity's media campaign in 2004-05 on heart disease caused by smoking. A further grant of £4,000,000 grant was made in 2005-06 to BHF for a media campaign highlighting the dangers of smoking and heart disease.
	In each year since 2003, £2 million has been funding allocated to the nationwide system of local tobacco alliances and the Regional Tobacco Policy Managers.
	
		
			  Financial year  Financial allocations to the national health service for stop smoking services (£ million) 
			 2003-04 41 
			 2004-05 46 
			 2005-06 51 
			 2006-07 56 
			 2007-08 56 
		
	
	The Department's grants to Action on Smoking Health (ASH) under section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968 are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Financial year  Grants (£) 
			 2003-04 164,000 
			 2004-05 168,000 
			 2005-06 180,000 
			 2006-07 185,400 
			 2007-08 191,000 
		
	
	The Department's grants to the No Smoking Day (NSD) organisation are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Financial year  Grants (£) 
			 2003-04 250,000 
			 2004-05 250,000 
			 2005-06 250,000 
			 2006-07 250,000 
			 2007-08 250,000 
		
	
	The Department's grants to QUIT (an organisation that provides support to smokers who want to quit smoking) under section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968 are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Financial year  Grants (£) 
			 2002-03 10,000 
			 2003-04 20,000 
			 2004-05 25,000

Departmental Manpower

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of his departmental staff were previously employed by other departments, broken down by the other departments concerned.

Kevin Brennan: The Department was created as part of the Machinery of Government changes announced on 28 June 2007. The vast majority of our staff are from the former Department for Education and Skills, with the exception being 40 staff who transferred in from the Home Office as the Respect Task Force, now known as the Youth Task Force and part of Youth Directorate in my Department. This represents around 1.4 per cent. of our staffing headcount total of 2,931 staff.

Departmental Manpower

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many people were employed by his Department and its predecessor on 1 January in each of the last five years; and how many of these staff were  (a) permanent employees,  (b) temporary staff and  (c) contractors.

Kevin Brennan: I refer the hon. Member for Lewes to the reply I gave on 30 October,  Official Report , column 1131W.

Geronimo Communications

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what payments his Department and its predecessors made to Geronimo Communications in each year since 1997.

Kevin Brennan: Details of payments made to Geronimo Communication by the Department and its predecessors over the last nine years are set out as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 1999-2000 320,132 
			 2000-01 715,379 
			 2001-02 1,221,349 
			 2002-03 1,347,384 
			 2003-04 1,153,197 
			 2004-05 459,374 
			 2005-06 2,441,139 
			 2006-07 2,013,211 
			 2007-08 (to October 2007) 1,157,691 
		
	
	The data was requested for the last 11 years, however, the Department is only able to supply nine years. The Department is only required to retain financial records and original documentation for six years after the end of the financial year in which the transaction took place.
	The Department for Children, Schools and Families was created on 28 June 2007 as a result of a Machinery of Government change and the expenditure recorded above includes those of the two predecessor departments, the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) and the Department of Education and Skills (DfES). The expenditure for 2007-08 will also include any costs incurred by the newly created Department for Universities, Innovation and Skills, where these costs relate to areas formerly the responsibility of the Department for Education and Skills.

Schools: Admissions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families for what reasons local authorities are under an obligation to remove surplus school places; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Section 13 of the Education Act 1996 places local authorities under a duty to secure that "efficient primary education, secondary education and further education are available to meet the needs of the population of their area". Funding used to maintain empty school places can represent an inefficient use of resources that could be better spent raising standards for parents and pupils.
	However, there is no 'surplus places rule' that would prevent the addition of provision where surplus places exist. As statutory guidance makes clear
	"Where proposals add to surplus capacity but there is a strong case for approval on parental preference and standards grounds, the presumption should be for approval. The LA in these cases will need to consider parallel action to remove the surplus capacity thereby created."